The interim government should be in place by December. The general elections are due in March-April next year.
Both sides have not been able to zero in on a common name for the post of interim prime minister, though several names that range from judges to generals and elder statesmen have been in circulation. As of now Senator Raza Rabbani appears to emerge as the consensus candidate for the hot seat. His stand on the dual nationality issue appears to have won him friends in the opposition. Even otherwise he is known as a man of his word. More over, as the Express Tribune reports, ‘Rabbani’s conduct as the chairman of the parliamentary committee on national security has pacified, if not pleased, the elite in Khaki’.
Other names in the ring include, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmoud Khan Achakzai and Balochistan National Party (BNP) head Sardar Akhtar Mengal. The PPP has reservations on both names. Senator Aitzaz Ahsan’s name is also in the reckoning but has not found much acceptance because of his recent track record particularly the way he fought Syed Yousaf Reza Gilani’s contempt of court case. Asma Jehangir, noted lawyer and human rights activist, is said to be another favourite of some politicians. But she is unlikely to make the cut because she has few friends in the permanent establishment which holds the veto on who will be the caretaker prime minister
Imran Khan, the cricketer turned politician, heading the PTI has lost some sheen in the past month or so. He entered the scene promising that PTI Tsunami would sweep Pakistan. But by accepting mostly turncoats from other parties, he made PTI look like the B team of PML and PPP. More over in recent weeks, many are desecrating him and are switching their loyalty to Nawaz party. Things may brighten for PTI if Imran Khan manages to stage his Waziristan march. It is unlikely that the army would allow him to cross into the tribal heartland accompanied by international media. Tsunami stands for destruction. In that sense, it was wrong on the part of Imran Khan to use Tsunami as a metaphor for his quest for power.
