Ishaq Dar put forward as leader of Pakistan’s caretaker government

ONE of the main parties in Pakistan's ruling coalition has proposed that finance minister Ishaq Dar lead the incoming caretaker government, party sources said, a move aimed at helping with continuity of economic reforms under an IMF deal.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) put forward Dar's name to its coalition partners, said the sources who were not authorised to speak to media and declined to be identified. An agreement has yet to be reached, said one of the sources.

"We think he could be the best bet to continue with the economic reforms agreed with the IMF," a PML-N member told Reuters.

Pakistan secured a badly-needed $3 billion short-term financial package from the IMF last month, a much-awaited respite as it teeters on the brink of default.

When asked about the proposal, Dar said only: "Let's wait."

Information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb did not respond to a request for comment.

Local media have reported that the ruling coalition will dissolve parliament on August 8, after which the caretaker government will have 90 days to hold a general election.

The ruling coalition replaced former prime minister Imran Khan's administration after he lost a parliamentary vote of confidence in April 2022, having lost favour with the country's powerful military. The military denies having a role in his ouster.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said that having Dar helm the caretaker government would mean it could not be impartial.

"If Ishaq Dar is to be made a caretaker prime minister, then there will be no elections but only a selection," said PTI spokesman Farrukh Habib.

(Reuters)