Pakistan PM, opposition to meet, deadline looms to name caretaker premier

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will meet opposition leader Raja Riaz on Saturday in a final bid to reach an agreement on a name for a caretaker premier ahead of a general election, local television channel Geo News reported.
The person chosen will name a cabinet and head a government to steer the nuclear-armed nation through economic and political crises until a new government is elected.
The deadline to reach an agreement on the candidate is midnight Saturday (1900 GMT), after which the matter goes to a parliamentary committee, and if that fails to agree on a name, then to the Election Commission to pick one from three names given by each side.
Riaz had given his list to Sharif, and vice versa, Geo News reported, citing sources, and the opposition leader had arrived at the prime minister’s house in Islamabad to discuss picking a name. The meeting will take place shortly, according to Geo.
This process could take up to five more days if an immediate agreement is not reached between the two on Saturday.