Pakistan: Pakistan’s opposition leader Raja Riaz and the PM’s office have confirmed that Senator Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar has been selected as the caretaker Prime Minister, according to Geo News. Following extensive discussions, Pakistan concluded its consultations and finalized Senator Kakar, a representative from Balochistan, as the interim PM on Saturday.

After the dissolution of the National Assembly on Wednesday night, President Arif Alvi’s approval paved the way for this decision. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had submitted a summary to dissolve the lower house of Parliament, prompting President Alvi’s action.

Before the decision was made, President Alvi sent a letter to both PM Shehbaz and Raja Riaz, reminding them of their responsibility to propose a suitable candidate for interim premier by August 12 (Saturday), as mandated by Article 224A of the Constitution.

Read more: Indian-American doctor covers self in flight, commits ‘lewd act’ next to 14-yr-old girl 

If the prime minister and the NA opposition leader fail to agree on a name within three days, the matter is referred to a parliamentary committee for the selection of a caretaker PM. The premier and the opposition leader will each provide their preferences for the role to the parliamentary delegation, in accordance with the law.

The parliamentary committee then has three days to finalize the caretaker prime minister’s name. Should the committee also be unable to reach a consensus, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will make the selection from the names proposed by both the opposition and the government within two days, as reported by Geo News.