ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah Friday met Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi but both the leaders apparently failed to agree on a name for the caretaker prime minister. Shah said after the meeting, which took place at the PM’s chambers in the National Assembly building, that he will hold another meeting with the prime minister on Tuesday after which they will announce the name of the caretaker prime minister. The prime minister is flying to Turkey on a two-day visit and the talks will resume on May 11 following his return. Shah hoped that the government and the opposition can agree on a candidate for the caretaker prime minister. He also held a meeting with National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. On April 11, the formal process for choosing caretaker prime minister kicked off following a meeting between PM Abbasi and Shah in which the names of potential candidates were discussed. The tenure of the current assembly will expire on May 31 and the government and the opposition have to agree on a candidate to head the caretaker set-up by the given date. The names of former chief justices including Justice (r) Nasirul Mulk, Justice (r) Anwar Zaheer Jamali, Justice (r) Jawad S Khawaja, Justice (r) Mian Shakirullah Jan, former State Bank of Pakistan governors Dr Shamshad Akhtar and Dr Ishrat Hussain, former caretaker PM Justice (r) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso and former Supreme Court judge Justice (r) Nasir Aslam Zahid have been doing rounds as potential candidates for the slot. According to Article 224 of the constitution, the caretaker prime minister shall be appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition in the outgoing National Assembly, and a caretaker chief minister shall be appointed by the governor in consultation with the chief minister and the leader of the opposition in the outgoing provincial assembly. Article 224A of the constitution says that if the prime minister and the leader of the opposition in the outgoing National Assembly do not agree on any person to be appointed as the caretaker prime minister, within three days of the dissolution of the National Assembly, they shall forward two nominees each to a committee to be immediately constituted by the speaker of the National Assembly comprising eight members of the outgoing National Assembly, or the Senate, or both, having equal representation from the treasury and the opposition, to be nominated by the prime minister and the leader of the opposition respectively. Similarly, if chief minister and the leader of the opposition in the outgoing provisional assembly do not agree on any person to be appointed as the caretaker chief minister, within three days of the dissolution of that assembly, they shall forward two nominees each to a committee to be immediately constituted by the speaker of the provincial assembly, comprising six members of the outgoing provincial assembly having equal representation from the treasury and the opposition, to be nominated by the chief minister and the leader of the opposition respectively. These committees are required to finalize the name of the caretaker prime minister or caretaker chief minister, as the case may be, within three days of the referral of the matter to it. However, if the committees fail to decide about the prime minister or the chief minister, as the case may be, the names of the nominees shall be referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan for final decision within two days. Published in Daily Times, May 19th 2018.