Anwaar Kakar sworn in as Pakistan's interim PM to oversee general elections

Tariq Butt, Correspondent / Reuters

Anwaar-ul Haq Kakar, a little-known politician who is believed to be close to the military, was sworn in as the eighth Pakistan's caretaker prime minister on Monday to oversee national elections as the country navigates political and economic crises.

Kakar, clad in a grey suit, was administered the oath by President Arif Alvi in a ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad — which coincided with the Independence Day of Pakistan.

Kakar, from the southwestern province of Balochistan, will name a cabinet and head a government until a new administration is elected. He resigned as a member of senate and from his party on Sunday. He was part of the Balochistan Awami Party, which is widely considered to be close to the country's powerful military.

"Owing to the fundamental responsibility conferred upon me as the caretaker prime minister, I have decided to surrender my membership of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and relinquish my Senate position. Prayers requested from everyone," Kakar, 52, said on Sunday.

The oath-taking ceremony was attended by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Asim Munir, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Sehar Shamshad and former prime minister Shahbaz Sharif.

After taking oath, Kakar also met officials of the armed forces and shook hands with them. His first task now as the interim premier will be to choose a cabinet to run the country as it heads into an election period.

Kakar, who hails from Qilla Saifullah, Balochistan, was one of the original architects of the Balochistan Awami Party. He is the second person from Balochistan to spearhead the interim set-up after Mir Hazar Khoso, who became the caretaker premier in 2013.

His appointment came with less than a year left in the completion of his six-year term in the Senate, which was to conclude in March 2024. He has now resigned as the senator.

While he does not hail from a traditional political family, earlier some of his relatives had been actively involved in politics.

Political analysts say that if the caretaker set-up stretches beyond its constitutional tenure, a prolonged period without an elected government would allow the military to consolidate control.

Under Pakistan's constitution, a neutral caretaker government oversees national elections, which must be held within 90 days of the dissolution of the parliament's lower house - which in this case means early November.

However, the ballot may be delayed as the Election Commission has to draw new boundaries for hundreds of federal and provincial constituencies and, based on that, it will give an election date.

Outgoing opposition leader Raja Riaz told broadcaster Geo News that he believed elections would take place in February next year and not as scheduled before November.

The choice of caretaker prime minister has assumed greater importance because the candidate will have extra powers to make policy decisions on economic matters.