Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz agreed on Saturday, 12 August, to name Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar as caretaker premier to oversee elections, the Prime Minister’s office said. President Arif Alvi approved Kakar's appointment.
"We first agreed that whoever should be prime minister, he should be from a smaller province so smaller provinces' grievances should be addressed," said Riaz, as quoted by AFP.
The assembly was dissolved on 9 August setting the stage for a general election in which former prime minister Imran Khan will not be able to participate. According to the rules, the election will be held within 90 days after the assembly was dissolved.
Who is Kakar?
A little-known politican, Kakar though listed as an independent candidate in the Senate is from Balochistan Awami Party which is widely considered to be close to Pakistan's military.
He has been a member of the Senate of Pakistan since March 2018. He undertook the role of parliamentary leader from the Balochistan Awami Party within the Senate.
Kakar was the chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development. He was a member of the Business Advisory Committee, Finance and Revenue, Foreign Affairs and Science and Technology, according to The Dawn.
He also served as the spokesperson for the Balochistan government from December 2015 to January 2018. According to the Centre for Strategic and Contemporary Research (CSCR), an Islamabad-based research institute, Kakar holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology from the University of Balochistan.
He is proficient in English, Urdu, Persian, Pushto, Balochi, and Brahvi languages.
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