ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interim Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso has reportedly refused to accept President Asif Ali Zardari’s nominees for crucial slots in the caretaker cabinet, asserting his resolve to appoint people of a clean reputation.
According to sources privy to developments, the premier has refused to induct any person nominated by a political party or having a direct affiliation with any party into the caretaker cabinet.
They added Khoso regretfully informed the President that he may or may not be in a position to accept his or his party’s nominees for the slot of the caretaker ministers for finance and petroleum.
Despite a lapse of three days since Khoso assumed office, there are still no signs of an oath-taking ceremony of the interim cabinet.
Presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar could not be contacted for confirmation till the filing of this story. However, the PM’s press secretary Shafqat Jalil confirmed Khoso has had two meetings with President Zardari, the last one held on Tuesday.
Sources said that the President desires to fill the crucial posts with people of his choosing, in a bid to continue the expansionary policies his party’s government practised during its five-year tenure.
They added that the premier also expressed displeasure with an understanding reached between Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz over the distribution of cabinet portfolios.
According to the sources, the two parties agreed that 80 percent of the caretaker cabinet slots would be distributed among them on an equal basis while the remaining 20 percent will be given to PPP’s allies.
The sources maintained that President Zardari wanted former finance minister Senator Saleem Mandviwalla and former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain to retain their respective portfolios in the caretaker cabinet as well.
In case other parties and the caretaker premier rejected Mandviwalla’s name, the PPP wanted the finance minister to be appointed from its list of candidates, which include Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Raziur Rehman and former banker Khawaja Iqbal Hasan.
The names of Wasim Haqi, former Board of Investment chairman and former finance minister Dr Salman Shah are also being pushed by relevant quarters.
The sources said security agencies had reservations against Raziur Rehman’s name. The former head of equity watchdog allegedly played a suspicious role in 2005 stock market crash that caused $7bn losses to the investors.
Rehman was accused by the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance for tampering with the forensic report of the stock market crash.
More recently, Rehman played a crucial role in the acquisition of a cement plant by the front man of a top PPP leader, they added.
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