Imran Khan To Continue As Pakistan PM Until ‘Caretaker’ Is Appointed: What Does It Mean?

While Pakistan's President has outlined the constitutional process, the entire sequence of events from the rejection of the no-confidence motion to the dissolution of the National Assembly is under constitutional scrutiny.

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 4 April 2022 10:55 am

Imran Khan will continue as the Prime Minister of Pakistan until a caretaker premier is appointed, according to a notification appointed by President Arif Alvi on Monday.

Earlier, the National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri had rejected the Opposition no-confidence motion against Khan, following which Khan advised the president to dissolve the parliament and call fresh elections, which the president soon approved.

Mr. Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, shall continue as Prime Minister till the appointment of caretaker Prime Minister under Article 224 A (4) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) April 3, 2022

In a separate notification on Monday, President Alvi outlined the constitutional process that would now be followed for the appointment of a caretaker prime minister.

The caretaker prime minister will be appointed by the president in consultation with the current office-holder Imran Khan and Leader of Opposition Shahbaz Sharif, according to Article 224 (1A) of Pakistan’s Constitution.

However, the two leaders from opposite camps are unlikely to agree on a name. In that case, if a name is not is not decided within three days of the dissolution of the National Assembly – by 6 March, then a committee will be formed by the Speaker of the National Assembly that will have four members each from the government and the Opposition from either or both the houses of the country’s parliament.

The current office-holder Imran Khan and Leader of the Opposition Shahbaz Sharif will provide this committee with two nominees each.

While the president has outlined this constitutional process, the entire sequence of events from the rejection of the no-confidence motion to the dissolution of the National Assembly is under constitutional scrutiny. The Chief Justice of Pakistan’s Supreme Court has taken suo moto cognizance of the situation and said on Sunday that all orders and actions initiated by the prime minister and the president regarding the dissolution of the National Assembly will be subject to the apex court's order.

A three-member bench held the initial hearing despite the weekend and issued notices to all the respondents, including President Alvi and Deputy Speaker of the NA Suri.

The Supreme Court ordered all parties not to take any "unconstitutional" measures and adjourned the hearing until Monday.

With PTI inputs