Daily Times

Going by the dragged feet in handing over the baton and a generally sour mood in the government camp, the appointment of the caretaker setup appears nothing more than one more ride on the merry-go-round. Despite a long string of names floating in the air for the past several weeks, it took an official letter from the presidency and a ticking deadline for the outgoing prime minister and leader of the opposition to come together and finalise a name for the coveted slot of the caretaker premier. The matter-of-fact tone of a rather scathing letter does give a whiff of some bad blood between the two key pillars of the state–ceremonial figurehead and the chief executive–but there are much, bigger issues at hand.

That the constitution mandates that the interim premier be named within three days of the dissolution of the National Assembly should have been the focal point for all related deliberations. Between former federal minister Ishaq Dar, PML(N) stalwart Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, the ruling elite appeared to be stuck at crossroads while concerns about the governance template running around like a chicken with its head cut off have been slid to some far-off corner. Therefore, the consensus upon the name of Anwaar Kakar should be appreciated as the first step towards resumption of democratic journey. There’s a lot that the new setup would have to achieve in an unimaginably brief time. In addition to taking care of fires raging in all corners, it would have to take the electioneering bull by the horns and lay the ground for an impartial, credible poll exercise that upholds the rule of law. For this to occur, the people steering the ship need to have an exemplary reputation because only their integrity and unbiased character would make their decisions win a token of approval from all players. It would actually be worthwhile for the cabinet to be as small as required for fundamental functions and for the apex body to not get distracted by the chiming glitter and power. *