ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Wednesday handed over the additional charge of the interior ministry to Commerce Minister Dr. Gohar Ejaz, days before Pakistan heads to the polls amid fears of militant attacks marring elections.
The interior minister’s post was vacant since December when Sarfaraz Bugti, then Pakistan’s interior minister, resigned citing “personal reasons.” Bugti later joined the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) ahead of national elections, his move coming hours before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced the schedule for polls.
Pakistan’s law bars any member of a caretaker set-up from contesting elections.
“The Prime Minister, in terms of rule 3(4) of the Rules of Business, 1973, has been pleased to assign the portfolio of Interior to Mr.[Gohar] Ejaz with immediate effect,” a notification from the Cabinet Division seen by Arab News said.
Gohar assumed office following the notification, the ministry said in a post on social media website. It uploaded a video of the new caretaker interior minister meeting senior personnel during a visit to the ministry.
Gohar, a businessperson and industrialist, assumes charge of the ministry as Pakistan suffers an uptick in militant attacks in its western regions bordering Afghanistan.
An election candidate was gunned down on Jan. 10 in northwestern Pakistan along with two others, while a former minister of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was critically wounded in a gun attack in southwestern Pakistan the same day.
The attacks stoked fears that polls would be marred by violence carried out by banned outfits and militant groups in the South Asian country.
Pakistan’s federal cabinet headed by PM Kakar on Tuesday approved the deployment of army soldiers and civil armed forces personnel for polls. The Prime Minister’s Office said army contingents would act as a Rapid Response Force on polling day.
The troops would be stationed in sensitive and highly sensitive constituencies and inside polling stations, the PMO said.
