No breakthrough in sight?

Indications are that the final decision of who would be the caretaker Prime Minister amongst the four names currently being considered by the Parliamentary Committee is likely to ultimately reside with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). The ECP is, as per the constitution, granted two days to make a final decision and select one of the four names debated in the parliamentary committee that would be binding on all parties.
Sources in the ECP told Business Recorder that the Commission will decide within the stipulated period of time with no interval or holiday and the caretaker prime minister would most likely take the oath by Monday. The ECP sources clarified that the holiday of Pakistan Day on March 23 (Saturday) and Sunday will be working days for the Commission and it will be in a position to give a final decision by Sunday.
"The Election Commission is well prepared to undertake its constitutional job as soon as the matter is referred to it and it will work without any interval or holiday," a high official of the ECP said. According to him, the ECP will consume the first day to evaluate the nominees for the caretaker prime minister and on its second day, Sunday, it will come up with its final decision. With this, the official said the interim set-up will be installed by Monday with the oath of the caretaker Prime Minister.
According to him, the ECP has been working on holidays for the last one month and it will complete its homework towards holding the upcoming general election in a free, fair and transparent manner. The eight-member parliamentary committee is going to complete its three-day constitutional period by midnight tonight (Friday). And given the rigid stance of both parties it is unlikely that discussions between the eight members would produce any breakthrough.
Analysts argue that the four members from the opposition are the second tier of the party's leadership and add that had Ishaq Dar been selected as a member of the committee chances for the parliamentary committee deciding on one name for the caretaker prime minister would have been brighter. Under the constitution, in case of inability of the parliamentary committee to decide the matter in three days of the referral of the matter to it, the names of the nominees shall be referred to the ECP for final decision within two days.
The parliamentary panel, which met for the second day to nominate caretaker prime minister, however, remained unable to come up with any consensus name. At present, there are four candidates namely former Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid and Rasool Bux Palejo - nominated by leader of the opposition Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan - and Dr Ishrat Hussain and former Justice Mir Hazar Khan Khoso - nominees of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.