Pakistan appoints ex-CJ as interim premier until polls

Mr Nasir-ul-Mulk will head a technocratic government after the current government and Parliament are dissolved on Thursday. His appointment comes amid growing political and economic instability, and ends weeks of wrangling between the ruling PML-N an
Mr Nasir-ul-Mulk will head a technocratic government after the current government and Parliament are dissolved on Thursday. His appointment comes amid growing political and economic instability, and ends weeks of wrangling between the ruling PML-N and the opposition.

ISLAMABAD • Pakistan has named former chief justice Nasir-ul-Mulk as interim prime minister until the July 25 general election, which is expected to usher in the second democratic transition of power in the nation of 208 million people.

The interim administration will likely not make any major decisions until the new government is elected, although it may be forced to act to shore up the economy amid a worsening macro-economic outlook.

Yesterday's appointment, announced by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, comes amid growing political and economic instability, and ends weeks of wrangling between Mr Abbasi's ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the opposition.

"No Pakistani can lift a finger (against) such a name," Mr Abbasi told reporters, seated next to Mr Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah, leader of the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Unlike in the run-ups to the previous two elections, which were marred by frequent attacks by Islamist militants, Pakistan has seen a sharp decline in militancy over the past few years.

But allegations of interference by the powerful military have returned in a serious way ahead of the July election, with the PML-N accusing the military-ruled state of trying to weaken it.

The military, which has been ruling Pakistan for about half its history since independence in 1947, denies meddling in politics.

Mr Mulk, who also served as interim chief of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), will head a technocratic government after the current government and Parliament are dissolved on Thursday.

Tasks awaiting the next government's attention range from tackling Pakistan's growing international isolation and souring ties with the United States to fixing the economy and a growing reliance on Chinese loans to stay afloat.

Mr Aamer Ahmed Khan, a Pakistani journalist and political analyst, said that the PML-N's efforts to drag out the talks were an attempt to signal to voters its concerns about interference in the election. "If anything, the apparent agreement has only reinforced the cynicism of the incumbent party towards the health and transparency of the upcoming elections," he said.

The main electoral challenge to PML-N, which has been weakened since its founder Nawaz Sharif was ousted as premier by the Supreme Court, is expected to come from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or Justice Party, headed by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.

Mr Khan, who has risen to prominence on an anti-graft agenda, has promised to clean up the government in his first 100 days in office and build "world-class" schools and hospitals.

Mr Mulk was a surprise choice for the role of prime minister, with the PPP's Mr Shah saying the former judge was not the front runner when the ruling party and the opposition began discussing the six likely candidates.

Mr Mulk "enjoys a good reputation" in the wider political arena, said Mr Raza Ahmad Rumi, editor of English-language newspaper Daily Times.

"He's seen as a neutral judge in the past without any political affiliation. In a way it's a good development," he added.

But Mr Rumi warned that the ECP may have an even bigger role to play in the run-up to the election, and had not been properly reformed.

REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 29, 2018, with the headline Pakistan appoints ex-CJ as interim premier until polls. Subscribe