NA Secretariat issues schedule for PM’s election
Nomination papers can be obtained by 3pm today; have to be submitted back 2pm Monday
July 30, 2017
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Secretariat has issued the schedule for the election of the new prime minister.
According to the schedule, nomination papers for the slot of prime minister can be obtained by 3pm today. The nomination papers have to be submitted back to the assembly secretariat by 2pm on Monday.
The National Assembly Speaker, Ayaz Sadiq, will then scrutinise the papers at 3pm the same day, following which the assembly will meet to elect the leader of the House on Tuesday, August 1.
On Saturday, President Mamnoon Hussain called the National Assembly session on August 1 to select a new prime minister, following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Panama Papers case for Nawaz Sharif to step down from the post.
Sharif was disqualified under Article 62 (1) (f) of the Constitution over his failure to disclose un-withdrawn receivables constituting assets from a UAE-based company. It implied he was not ‘honest’ and ‘truthful’, as per the country’s Constitution.
The parliamentary party meeting of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz decided on Saturday to make Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif — the brother of the ousted premier — to be the party’s candidate for the slot.
However, at the meeting, Nawaz announced that former federal minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will be the interim premier until Shehbaz is elected to a National Assembly seat.
"If you support anyone after me, I ask you to support Shehbaz Sharif," said Nawaz during the meeting, held at the Punjab House.
"It will take Shehbaz Sharif 50-55 days to take over as prime minister. He will have to contest [national] elections. For the interim period, I am recommending Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for the position of prime minister."
