Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Raja Riaz on Tuesday opposed Finance Minister Ishaq Dar\u2019s initially rumoured but now quashed candidature for caretaker prime minister\u2019s role, and also downplayed the need of immediate elections in the country. The tenure of the National Assembly is set to expire on August 12 and meetings are under way between the members of the government on the details of an interim set-up. If the government is dissolved before the National Assembly completes its term on August 12, elections would be held within the next 90 days. If the assembly completes its tenure, the Election Commission of Pakistan is bound to hold polls within the next 60 days. Earlier this week, reports emerged of Dar as a possible candidate for the caretaker prime minister\u2019s slot. However, the PML-N a day ago appeared to be back-pedalling on the idea, apparently in the wake of its outright rejection by both its ally PPP and the opposition PTI. \u201cThe elections will not be held for two years if Ishaq Dar becomes the interim prime minister,\u201d said Riaz, who is a member of the parliament on PTI\u2019s ticket despite severing ties with the party and openly acknowledging that he would contest the next elections on PML-N\u2019s ticket. Riaz said no one would accept the validity of the general polls if they were held under Dar as the caretaker premier, adding that Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had also given a \u201cclear stance\u201d on the issue. \u201cThe PML-N should reveal a name or run it on the media. There is no need for me to consult on it. As the opposition leader, I have to give my three names. I will meet the prime minister by August 1 on the caretaker government issue,\u201d he said. Riaz said he would soon initiate the consultation process regarding the nominee for the caretaker prime minister, saying that he had meetings scheduled on Wednesday or Thursday with other opposition leaders on the issue. \u201cAn economist should be the caretaker prime minister,\u201d he added. Riaz was also dismissive of the need of elections within its constitutional timeframe upon the current assembly\u2019s early dissolution or tenure expiration. \u201cElections are not necessary in the country,\u201d he said adding that it did not matter if general elections were not held even for a decade. \u201cThe problems of the country and the people are more important. The solution to the challenges faced at this time is most important,\u201d the opposition leader asserted. Riaz was appointed as the opposition leader in May 2022 after being nominated by NA Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf. He was part of a group of PTI dissidents who had chosen to stay in the National Assembly even as other party MNAs had resigned at the directions of the party chairman.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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