A senator from Pakistan’s least populous province was named the country’s interim prime minister on Saturday (August 12). The appointment of lesser-known politician Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar comes ahead of elections months away and as the country has been embroiled in a political crisis since Imran Khan was ousted as leader of the government in April 2022.
Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, 52, from the southwestern province of Balochistan, was chosen by the outgoing coalition government to lead the country in the grip of a political crisis. “We first agreed that whoever the prime minister is, he should be from a smaller province, so that claims from smaller provinces will be dealt with,” the opposition leader said on Saturday. Pakistani Raja Riaz Ahmad, following a meeting with outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The interim prime minister will lead Pakistan until the next general and provincial elections, scheduled for November. Some officials have nevertheless already announced that they will be postponed until next year.
The political climate has been particularly tense in Pakistan since Imran Khan was ousted from power and waged an unprecedented campaign against the powerful military establishment. Last weekend, the septuagenarian was sentenced for corruption to three years in prison and imprisoned.
Imran Khan, who is barred from running for office for five years, has appealed his sentence and conviction.
Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar “ has a limited political career and does not weigh heavily in Pakistani politics,” said political analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi, interviewed by AFP. “ This may be an advantage, as he does not have a strong affiliation with the main political parties ”, but “ the disadvantage”, according to the analyst, “is that he could find it difficult to cope with problems it will face, without the active support of the military establishment”.
Severe crackdown on Imran Khan’s party
In recent months, authorities have cracked down hard on the former cricketer star’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Deadly clashes erupted in May between his supporters demonstrated by the thousands in the street and the police. Almost all of the PTI leaders had been arrested or forced into hiding.
Having taken courses at the National Defense University, formerly the Army war school, the new interim prime minister would be close to the military establishment, according to analyst Ayesha Sidiqqa. “It seems the establishment has struck a blow and found someone who will look out for their interests rather than those of the politicians,” she said.
On Wednesday, August 9, Parliament was officially dissolved and elections must be held within 90 days, in accordance with the Constitution.
But the release last weekend of the latest census data could put them off: the government has indicated that the Electoral Commission needs time to redraw the boundaries of electoral districts, although the Electoral Commission has not commented directly. about it.
An election that may be delayed
Asked on television whether a vote would take place this year, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah replied “No”.
Last month, parliament hastily passed a law giving the caretaker government more power to negotiate with international bodies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This additional clue suggests that it could remain in place for some time.
Some analysts believe the delay could give key coalition partners Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) time to hone a strategy against Imran Khan’s party.
” Delaying the election could simply further irritate the public and galvanize an opposition that has already suffered from months of repression,” said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center.
The United States said on Wednesday it was following the situation in Pakistan with concern, fearing violence could erupt ahead of the election.
In Pakistan, behind any election hides the army, which has organized and succeeded at least three coups since the country was forged in 1947, during the partition of India. Imran Khan enjoyed genuine popular support when he came to power in 2018, but analysts believe it was only with the blessing of the country’s powerful generals, with whom he reportedly fell out in the months following preceded his eviction.
