Former National Assembly speaker and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser on Thursday alleged that some members of the federal government had “informally” proposed the imposition of an interim technocratic government to take “tough” decisions needed to save the economy without any political backlash.
In an interview with Geo News’ Hamid Mir, he claimed the plan was proposed during an informal chat with some members of the ruling coalition. “It was an informal chat in which some people in the government floated the idea of a technocrat government,” he said, while stressing this would be unconstitutional and the PTI would never accept such a setup.
Rumors of a so-called “extended technocrat setup” have been circulating for the past week, primarily from within the PTI, with the party’s “sympathetic” journalists claiming several economists have been interviewed by the military leadership to kickstart the process. Seemingly confirming this, former Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman Shabbar Zaidi alleged the plan was being considered so non-political individuals could take “bold decisions” needed to save the economy without fearing any political consequences.
However, several ministers of the ruling coalition have outright denied these claims, maintaining that there are no such plans in place. Appearing in the same talk-show as Qaiser, Energy Minister Khurram Dastagir-Khan said the former speaker’s conversation was likely “very informal” and “non-serious,” as it was discussing a patently unconstitutional measure. He emphasized that there was no were no serious consideration of any “long-term interim set-up” that would be run by technocrats.
Earlier, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had likewise told private broadcaster Samaa News that there would be no “extended” interim setup, adding that the present government would complete its constitutional term. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had also told Geo News’ Shahzeb Khanzada that there had been no indication from the “apolitical” establishment that it was seeking an extended interim government. Rubbishing the rumors, he claimed they were part of the PTI’s strategy of spread falsehoods in a bid for narrative-building.