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ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah would meet Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Wednesday (tomorrow) to discuss the matters relating to caretaker setup.

Talking to mediapersons here at his chamber Monday, the opposition leader said that he would hold a meeting with the Prime Minister on April 11 at 10:00am to discuss the procedure related to caretaker setup for holding forthcoming general election. It would be my second meeting with the Prime Minister, he added.

“I have not had any final discussion with opposition allies about the names for caretaker setup. They haven’t submitted a final name for slot of caretaker prime minister. My party has to meet and decide on a name as well. The government might submit a name too,” he said.

The opposition leader said, “We want to bring forward people who can safeguard democracy in Pakistan. If we make a mistake and bring a person who is unable to hold free and fair election then it will be damaging one.”

While criticizing the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), he said that the party keeps bringing new traditions. “If the Prime Minister doesn’t accept the Senate chairman then he doesn’t accept the Parliament.”

He said that the next general election would depend upon the caretaker setup, adding that they are trying to bring a suitable candidate for caretaker prime minister.

He maintained that they have not started consultations regarding interim setup yet, adding that his party would try to bring a name for caretaker prime minister after holding a consultative meeting.

Shah said if the government does not give the name of Benazir Bhutto to the new Islamabad Airport then the Pakistan Peoples Party would challenge it in the court.

The PPP leader said that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came back to Pakistan on the end of his 10-year of exile in wake of Benazir Bhutto’s efforts so new Islamabad Airport should be named after her.

“If we give respect to one another then only the democracy can flourish in the country,” he remarked.

There is a clearly laid-down procedure for appointing a caretaker government in the Constitution.

According to Article 224 of the Constitution of Pakistan, 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.

According to Article 224A of the Constitution , 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.

The committee is required to finalize the name of the caretaker prime minister within three days of the referral of the matter to it. However, if the committee fails to decide about the prime minister, the names of the nominees shall be referred to the Election Commission of Pakistan for final decision within two days. The same procedure is for caretaker chief ministers for the provinces.