As Pakistan set to announce its caretaker PM, a look at leaders who held the post in past

Pakistan’s National Assembly dissolved on August 9, just few days before its tenure ended, paving the way for a caretaker government set up to assume office, until the next general elections. However, who will be the caretaker PM of the country is still being kept under wraps. The concept of a caretaker or an interim Prime Minister is not novel in Pakistan. The country has been politically unstable ever since its inception and it is the reason why not a single Prime Minister in the country has completed his or her full term in office. 

In the past, Pakistan has witnessed seven caretaker Prime Ministers, the first being appointed in 1990. It is usually preferred that the position is given to a neutral actor since it is the interim Prime Minister’s responsibility to ensure a smooth transition after the election. The constitution of Pakistan bestows only limited and certain powers to the caretaker Prime Minister. However, one of the responsibilities is to hold impartial and fair elections in the country. As Pakistan gears up to receive its next caretaker Prime Minister, here’s a look at seven people who have assumed the office in the past.  

A look at past caretaker Prime Ministers in Pakistan

• Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi (August-November 1990) - Jatoi, who was the leader of the opposition at the time of his appointment, became the first caretaker prime minister of Pakistan in 1990. According to Geo News, he was appointed by then-president Ghulam Ishaq Khan. Jatoi was appointed after the dissolution of the National Assembly, resulting in the removal of then-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The Pakistani politician handed over his reign to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif in just a few months. 
   
• Balakh Sher Mazari (April-May 1993) - Mazar was placed in office just three years after the country held the general election of 1990. Ishaq Khan once again ordered the dissolution of the country’s National Assembly prematurely by ousting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. However, Mazari’s reign only lasted for a month. He was later succeeded by Nawaz Sharif himself after the PML-N supremo won the July 1993 elections. 
   
• Moinuddin Ahmed Qureshi (July-October 1993) - Pakistani-American economist Moeenuddin Ahmed Qureshi assumed the office of the caretaker Prime Minister after both Nawaz and President Ishaq Khan tendered resignation in an army-brokered agreement. According to Geo News, Qureshi jointly oversaw the 1993 polls with the Pakistan army which eventually led to the return of Benazir Bhutto and her PPP. 
   
• Malik Meraj Khalid (November 1996-February 1997) - Then speaker of the National Assembly Malik Meraj Khalid took charge as caretaker Prime Minister after Benazir was ousted again due to corruption charges. Khalid served the office for nearly three months and was succeeded by Nawaz Sharif who won the 1997 parliamentary elections. 
   
• Muhammad Mian Soomro (November 2007-March 2008) - Pakistan saw a decade-long army rule under the draconian reign of General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. Soomro was ordered by Musharraf to assume office in 2007 after the PML-Q-led government completed its term. Soomro eventually transferred the power to Yousaf Raza Gillani who won the 2008 general election, marking the formal end of Musharraf’s reign. 
   
• Mir Hazar Khan Khoso (March-June 2013) - Khoso was appointed after the PML-N-led NA dissolved in 2013 under the reign of Prime Minister Raja Parvez Ashraf. The Pakistani politician’s appointment was crucial since this was the first time the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) made the appointment under Article 224A. The ECP stepped in after the Prime Minister and then-leader of the opposition failed to reach a consensus on one candidate. Khoso transferred the power to Nawaz who won the 2013 general election. 
   
• Nasir-ul-Mulk (June-Aug 2018) - Former chief justice Nasir-ul-Mulk became the seventh caretaker PM in 2018, after the end of the constitutional term of then Prime Minister Khaqan Abbasi. He handed over the power to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan after he witnessed a landslide victory in the 2018 General elections. 

Amid the ongoing economic crisis and political turmoil, the office of the caretaker Prime Minister has become more crucial than ever before. Last Month, the country’s National Assembly introduced an amendment enabling the interim Prime Minister to take decisions of national importance. With the prospects of Pakistan General elections getting pushed to next year, it will be interesting to see who will take charge of the struggling nation.