In the decisive moments for the appointment of the caretaker prime minister, it has been learnt that former ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani’s name has assumed significance.
The former foreign secretary could be the chosen one, as the name for the caretaker prime minister is likely to be finalized.
According to sources, former US ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani is among the proposed nominations of Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Raja Riaz.
The government’s allied parties also have no objection to the nomination, as per sources.
However, besides Jilani, former finance minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and retired judge Justice Maqbool Baqir are also being considered for the important slot.
There is a possibility of a meeting between the prime minister and the opposition leader tonight.
Sources say the caretaker prime minister’s name is likely to be announced today.
Jalil Abbas Jilani is a retired diplomat who served in Grade 22 as the foreign secretary from March 2012 to December 2013. He has served as the 22nd ambassador of Pakistan to the United States from December 2013 to February 2017.
He currently serves as a senior director at the Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies (CASS).
An Oxford graduate, Jilani served as the deputy secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office between 1989 and 1992, and as the deputy high commissioner to India between 1999 and 2003.
He headed the South Asia desk at the Foreign Office between 2003 and 2007, during which time he was also appointed as the ministry’s spokesman.
