Who is Gulzar Ahmed, the man Imran Khan picked as caretaker PM?
On December 21, 2019, Ahmed was sworn in as Pakistan's 27th Chief Justice. According to Dawn, Ahmed largely worked with civil-corporate law during his professional career, working as a legal counsel to various global and local firms, banks, and financial institutions.
FollowIn the midst of Pakistan's current political turmoil, beleaguered Prime Minister Imran Khan nominated former Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed for the position of caretaker Prime Minister on Monday. Fawad Chaudhry, a former information minister and senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, stated that the premier took the decision after receiving clearance from the party's core committee.
Here is everything you need to know:
Gulzar Ahmed began his legal career as a lawyer in 1986 and joined the Sindh High Court Bar Association in April 1988. Ahmed joined the Supreme Court Bar Association in September 2001 before becoming a justice of the Sindh High Court. In November 2011, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
On December 21, 2019, Ahmed was sworn in as Pakistan's 27th Chief Justice. According to Dawn, Ahmed largely worked with civil-corporate law during his professional career, working as a legal counsel to various global and local firms, banks, and financial institutions.
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Justice Ahmed was a member of the Supreme Court's five-judge panel that dismissed former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case. He originally came to public attention when he wrote a dissenting remark in the Panama Papers judgement. He was one of two dissenting justices on the bench who believed Sharif had not been truthful to the country and should be removed from office.
Throughout his professional career, Ahmed was notorious for his harsh judgements and remarks directed at governments and bureaucracy.
A caretaker prime minister, as the name implies, is someone who manages the government on a temporary basis until the Prime Minister is elected through the democratic process. In Pakistan, a caretaker prime minister takes over the government following the dissolution of the National Assembly in order to ensure free and fair elections. Following the dissolution of the National Assembly, the President of Pakistan is required to establish a Caretaker Government with the consent of the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. Both parties must agree on who would serve as caretaker Prime Minister.
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