Awami Muslim League chief and former federal interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has said that if Dar is named as caretaker premier, it will be a mockery of the constitution and the law. Elections under such a setup will be a disgrace to democracy, he added. He said naming caretaker setup will make it clear whether general elections will be transparent or not. In his statement on the social networking site Twitter on Tuesday, he said the announcement of the caretaker government and prime minister is crucial. Rashid said that Dar's wish to be caretaker prime minister may become a news, but it may also make the entire election questionable and a disgrace. If Dar is caretaker prime minister, how free and fair elections are possible, he questioned.

 He said that those who enacted and amended laws to finish their [corruption] cases after a hectic struggle of almost 15 months needed a powerful caretaker prime minister so that their cases might not be reopened as the Supreme Court has yet to decide the NAB case. The households who have received electricity bills are in a state of mourning, and the gas bill under raised tariff is yet to come, he continued. The former federal minister said democracy would fall in the pit they are digging for others. They blatantly disregard the Constitution; they are exposed as disobeying the constitution tantamount to rebellion. There is no adherence to the constitution, nor to the law, nor is there a solution to the problems of the poor, he added.

The Constitution is held in abeyance. They have made this country a land without a constitution; this is the story of 15-month rule of the [PDM] government, he stated. The ex-minister said the caretaker government can neither transfer nor post [any official] nor make any important decision. It can only make arrangements for the elections. Flour, sugar, gas, electricity have been made dearer but bureaucrats are being given 200 new vehicles as a bribe. The present era will be etched in the history of Pakistan politics as the darkest, Rasheed concluded.

 
Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)