Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has dismissed the impression that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s decision to return to Pakistan was part of any deal with the interim government.

“The caretaker government has ‘no soft corner’ for PML-N or any other political party… how can a caretaker government strike such a deal,” he said in an interview with digital media platform, World Echo (WE) News, that was aired on the YouTube channel on Thursday.

The prime minister was responding to a question relating to the PML-N supremo who is scheduled to return to Pakistan on October 21. On Wednesday, he flew from London to Saudi Arabia with his announcement to land in his home country.

Kakar pointed out that Nawaz left the country as per the court decision “under the nose of Imran Khan’s government, and not the caretaker setup”. But he added that if the former prime minister returned and took part in politics, he would have to face “some” legal obstacles.

“The answers to these legal questions lie in legal remedies,” he said, adding that any leader be it Imran Khan, Asif Ali Zardari, or Nawaz Sharif, everyone would have to seek their legal remedy as per their case scenario.

He was of the view that the country was facing the formation of “regimental camps” and the country had been turned into a fighting ground for political positions. He rejected the notion that the caretaker setup could be likened to the 90s “Kakar formula” when the-then PM Nawaz and the-then President Ghulam Ishaq Khan were forced to quit on the proposal of the-then army chief General Waheed Kakar to make way for a fresh election.

“This comparison is apples and oranges. It is out of context because in our case, the stint of the normal Parliament led to its retirement and we are part of the constitutional continuation where leaders of the house and the opposition agreed upon my name,” he said, “there has been no interference from any institution in our case.”

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Elections

When asked about the general elections, Kakar replied that necessary security and administrative arrangements were in place. The caretaker government in collaboration with the Election Commission was in the process of the finalisation of the required measures, he added.

The polls overseer has asked the people to get ready for chilly elections next year, as some of the political parties expressed concerns over it.

But the PPP has asked for timely elections that it thinks would end uncertainty in the country.

On the expulsion of Afghan refugees, the prime minister reiterated that the action was being taken only against unregistered foreign nationals and over one million “illegal aliens”. The government’s objective, he said, was to regulate the movement of unregistered foreign nationals through proper process.

The caretaker government set a November 1 deadline for illegal foreign nationals to leave the country. After the time limit, the government would confiscate their properties and arrest people involved in doing business with them.

India, Israel

While responding to a query on relations with India, Kakar said that the radicalised Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) mindset of the ruling Indian party and the Kashmir dispute were the main hurdles in the maintenance of good ties.

“The situation between Pakistan and India needs to be improved, however, realistically at present, there is no such possibility,” he said.

He went on to add that the hegemonic designs of India needed to be curtailed as the country was “turning into hell” for its minorities, including Muslims, Sikhs, and others.

The interim premier rejected any possibility of recongnising Israel.

“There are no such deliberations going on,” he said and reiterated that Pakistan considered Israel an “oppressor” and stood with the rights of Palestinians to their existence and return to their land.

The question was apparently asked against the backdrop of normalisation of ties between Israel and some Gulf countries.

Last month, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a US television interview that his country was moving steadily closer to normalizing relations with Israel.

Economy

The caretaker prime minister claimed that the country for the first time saw a reversal of the value of the dollar with a consistent descent of about Rs40 to Rs45.

The continuation of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) would lead to sustainability, he claimed and dismissed the impression that the army had taken over the mining sector through the SIFC platform.

“The army’s role is a stop-gap arrangement to run the matters and at the SFIC. It is providing impetus to the facilitation process,” Kakar said and emphasised the need for capacity-building of civil institutions as a pathway for a viable state economically.

In Balochistan, he termed security, governance, scarcity of resources, and mismanagement as the “main challenges”. The caretaker premier recalled that during the meeting of the apex committee held in Quetta, it was revealed that hundreds of ghost schools and health units existed in the province.

“Such mismanagement has led to making a few billionaires but leaving the rest of the population deprived including the common Balochs, Pashtuns, and Hazaras,” he said.