Who is Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar? Balochistan lawmaker elected as Pakistan's caretaker PM

Outgoing Prime Minister of Pakistan (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday elected Senator Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar as the caretaker PM of the country after holding two rounds of consultations with Raja Riaz, leader of the opposition in Pakistan's National Assembly (NA).

The decision came three days after Pakistan's parliament was dissolved by President Dr Arif Alvi on outgoing PM Shehbaz Sharif's advice, setting the stage for a national election amid political and economic crises.

The President of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi, also gave his assent to Kakar's appointment as the caretaker PM of Pakistan.

A tweet on the official Twitter handle of Pakistan's President's office said, "President Dr Arif Alvi has approved the appointment of Anwarul Haque Kakar as Caretaker Prime Minister."

"The President approved the appointment under Article 224 A of the Constitution," the tweet added.

Later on the appointment, Dawn News quoted Raja Riaz as saying, “We had earlier decided that the caretaker PM should be someone from a smaller province and a non-controversial personality. Our aim was to remove the sense of deprivation in small provinces."

“We have finally reached a consensus that Anwaarul Haq Kakar will be the caretaker PM,” Riaz added in his remarks.

Senator Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar will be sworn in as the caretaker PM of Pakistan on Sunday, August 13.

Who is Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar?

Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar represents the insurgency-hit Balochistan province of Pakistan in the country’s National Senate. He was elected to the house in March 2018 and has a tenure till March 2024.

According to the Senate of Pakistan's website, before his appointment as the caretaker PM of Pakistan, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar was a member of five committees which included Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (as Chairperson), Business Advisory Committee, Finance and Revenue, Foreign Affairs and Science and Technology committees.

Earlier, he also served as the parliamentary leader of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) within the Senat and as the ex-spokesman for the Government of Balochistan.

Widely considered as a politician close to Pakistan’s military leadership, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar is an alumnus of the prestigious National Defence University (NDU) and University of Balochistan (UOB).

He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology and can speak English, Urdu, Persian, Pushto, Balochi, and Brahvi languages.