Islamabad A session of the National Assembly has been called to elect Pakistan’s new interim Prime Minister Tuesday.
The ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has selected Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as interim Prime Minister for a period of 45 days before Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif replaces him for the remaining 10 months of the government’s term, until the June 2018 elections.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s opposition parties on Monday failed to reach a consensus on their joint candidate for the prime minister’s post.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has nominated a lone-but-staunch political superman Sheikh Rasheed for the interim prime minister’s post. However, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has filed nominations for its own candidates, while the MQM has decided that its members would vote for PML-N’s Khaqan Abbasi.
Political observers believe that Imran Khan’s speech on Sunday - promising accountability for all allegedly politicians including Asif Zardari for alleged involvement in corruption — has killed hopes for unity among opposition leaders.
With a divided opposition, it is now evident that neither PTI nor PPP can pose any serious challenge to the PML-N’s candidate.
Since the PML-N holds a majority of 188 seats in the 342-member parliament, its candidate is expected an easy win.
PML-N has not had a day of comfort since the removal of Sharif as prime minister in the Panama Papers case.
The latest problem for PML-N is Khaqan Abbasi’s Rs.220 billion corruption inquiry being carried out by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Tough times lie ahead for Abbasi.
Abbasi, is a principal accused in a NAB case on liquefied natural gas (LNG) agreement. Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog is currently probing the case against Abbasi over LNG import contract which could cause a potential $2 billion loss to the national exchequer in 15 years.
PTI leader Babar Awan urged Abbasi to come clean. “As the new interim PM of Pakistan, Abbasi must disclose the specifics of the multi-billion dollar LNG project” Awan said.
Opposition leader Sheikh Rasheed has pledged to pursue the case in Court. “Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Shahbaz Sharif will both be disqualified soon” he said.
In his Sunday night speech, PTI chief Imran Khan also warned Abbasi. “Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Shehbaz Sharif, your turn is next,” Khan told the crowd in Islamabad.
The long-time Sharif loyalist Abbasi served as the Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources in the federal cabinet that was dissolved after the July 28 and us the owner of the private Airblue airline.
Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog is currently inquiring a case registered in 2015 against Abbasi over LNG import contract which could cause a potential $2 billion loss to the national exchequer in 15 years.
The case was registered on complaint of Shahid Sattar – an energy expert and former member of the Planning Commission– in July 2015, accusing Abbasi of misusing his authority. The contract for the LNG import and distribution was awarded to the Elengy Terminal Pakistan, a subsidiary of Engro, in 2013 in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority rules and laws, NAB revealed.
A petition has already been filed in the Supreme Court of Pakistan calling for an Interim Order to block the nomination of Abbasi as the interim PM. It was also argued in the petition a case on LNG imports was already under review by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Mr. Abbasi had awarded the LNG contract to Qatar in violation of rules of the country.
The petitioner has also appealed to the Supreme Court to put the names of those involved in LNG scandal on Exit Control List (ECL) so that they cannot leave the country.
Meanwhile the chairman of NAB has returned back from a foreign visit and chaired a high-level meeting on Monday to take a constitutional view of the direction order of the Supreme Court to take up allegations against Nawaz Sharif, his two sons, daughter Maryam Nawaz and his son-in-law.
Abbasi has denied all corruption allegations levelled against him.
“I am clean,” Abbasi told the media. “If anybody still wants to proceed against me, they should feel free to do so—to get into litigation or file a reference against me. I am ready to face anything,” the former petroleum minister said.
