Interim Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso has reportedly refused to accept President Asif Ali Zardari’s nominees for crucial slots in the caretaker cabinet, asserting his resolve to appoint people of a ‘clean reputation’.

According to sources privy to developments, the premier has refused to induct any person nominated by a political party or having a direct affiliation with any party into the caretaker cabinet. They added Khoso regretfully informed the President that he may or may not be in a position to accept his or his party’s nominees for the slot of the caretaker ministers for finance and petroleum.

Despite a lapse of three days since Khoso assumed office, there are still no signs of an oath-taking ceremony of the interim cabinet.
Presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar could not be contacted for confirmation till the filing of this story. However, the PM’s press secretary Shafqat Jalil confirmed Khoso has had two meetings with President Zardari, the last one held on Tuesday. Chief of Army Staff Ashfaq Parvez Kayani met the premier the same day.

Sources have told The Express Tribune that the President desires to fill the crucial posts with people of his choosing, in a bid to continue the expansionary policies his party’s government practised during its five-year tenure.They added that the premier also expressed displeasure with an understanding reached between Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz over the distribution of cabinet portfolios. According to the sources, the two parties agreed that 80% of the caretaker cabinet slots would be distributed among them on an equal basis while the remaining 20% will be given to PPP’s allies.

The sources maintained that President Zardari wanted former finance minister Senator Saleem Mandviwalla and former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain to retain their respective portfolios in the caretaker cabinet as well.In case other parties and the caretaker premier rejected Mandviwalla’s name,

the PPP wanted the finance minister to be appointed from its list of candidates, which include Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Raziur Rehman and former banker Khawaja Iqbal Hasan. The names of Wasim Haqi, former Board of Investment chairman and former finance minister Dr Salman Shah are also being pushed by relevant quarters.

The sources said security agencies had reservations against Raziur Rehman’s name. The former head of equity watchdog allegedly played a suspicious role in 2005 stock market crash that caused $7 billion losses to the investors. Rehman was accused by the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance for tampering with the forensic report of the stock market crash. More recently, Rehman played a crucial role in the acquisition of a cement plant by the frontman of a top PPP leader, they added.

Khawaja Iqbal, meanwhile, has had a bad experience with NIB Bank. He also served as a director on the State Bank’s board under prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. Dr Shah too has been held responsible for bringing the economy to its knees by failing to take timely actions during his tenure as the finance minister.

PPP has been pushing Mandviwalla’s case over Haqi, who is believed by many to have a clean reputation. Economists have criticised Mandviwalla’s short stint as finance minister. He has been criticised for doling out funds to PIA, blindly approving summaries forwarded by the petroleum ministry and for serving as a tool in the appointment of selected people at key posts.

Like PPP, PML-N too wants to grab the finance minister’s slot, the sources said. Former finance minister Dr Hafiz Pasha is said to be a choice of the PML-N. Former interior secretary Syed Kamal Pasha’s name has meanwhile, been tipped as the minister of interior.