Ishaq Dar’s appointment as deputy PM raises eyebrows
There is no mention of the position of deputy prime minister in the constitution, it is an exhibition post
Ishaq Dar’s appointment as deputy Prime Minister is raising eyebrows.
The Cabinet Division’s notification announcing Ishaq Dar’s appointment as Deputy PM did not refer to the Constitution, rules or any law under which the appointment was made.
Currently, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is in Saudi Arabia with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, participating in a special session of the World Economic Forum.
The move has raised several questions about why Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif appointed Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar as the country’s Deputy Prime Minister.
According to the sources, the deputy prime minister would not be authorised to exercise the powers of the prime minister and the position would be largely symbolic.
It has not yet been clarified by the federal government or the Ministry of Information what powers Ishaq Dar will have as Deputy Prime Minister.
However, it is not the first time in the history of Pakistan that a Prime Minister appointed someone as his deputy.
Earlier in the year 2012, in the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, who belonged to the then-ruling party Pakistan Muslim League (Q), was also appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister of the country.
However, the notification issued by the Cabinet Division at that time clearly stated that the Deputy Prime Minister ‘shall have no powers of the Prime Minister.
On the other hand, constitutional experts say that there is no mention of the post of ‘Deputy Prime Minister’ in the Constitution of Pakistan.
According to Rashid Chaudhry, who is associated with FAFAN, an organization that monitors parliamentary politics in Pakistan, this is an informal position.
This is an informal position and has come into being through an executive order (Prime Minister’s order), he said, adding that we have an example of this in recent history when Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was appointed to such post.
Meanwhile, defending the government’s move, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, who belongs to Pakistan Muslim League-N, told the BBC that ‘the Prime Minister has the right to share the burden of his work and to choose a person who can help him.”
Senator Irfan Siddiqui added, “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken this decision according to his convenience and satisfaction.”
He further said that ‘Dar Saheb knows all aspects of administrative, political and economic affairs and he will efficiently do everything along with the Prime Minister.
When asked if Nawaz Sharif’s will was present in appointing Ishaq Dar as Deputy Prime Minister, he said that Shahbaz Sharif usually consults Nawaz Sharif on important decisions. and has also taken his opinion.”
Meanwhile, political analysts claim that the appointment of Ishaq Dar as Deputy Prime Minister is related to the internal politics of Pakistan Muslim League-N.
