Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar will be caretaker PM to see the country through to the next election. AFP
Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar will be caretaker PM to see the country through to the next election. AFP
Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar will be caretaker PM to see the country through to the next election. AFP
Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar will be caretaker PM to see the country through to the next election. AFP

Pakistan senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar becomes caretaker PM


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Pakistani senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar was appointed as caretaker prime minister to oversee the national elections, the prime minister's office said on Saturday.

The decision followed a meeting between outgoing premier Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz. Mr Sharif's office released a statement on Sunday, with the outgoing prime minister saying he prayed "that the caretaker prime minister and his cabinet fulfill the expectations of the people and the constitution."

Pakistan's parliament was dissolved on Wednesday, and by law an election should be held within 90 days, which in this instance means early November.

However, the results of the latest census released last week means more time is likely to be needed to redraw constituencies.

Whenever it happens, it will likely be without former prime minister Imran Khan, who was convicted of corruption last weekend and sentenced to three years in jail.

The interim government takes over a country that has been in political turmoil since Khan was dismissed by a no-confidence vote in April last year, and is also facing overlapping economic and security issues.

Mr Kakar, a lesser known politician from the south-western province of Balochistan, will name a cabinet and head a government to steer the country until a new government is elected.

Pakistan's Geo News said President Arif Alvi approved Mr Kakar's appointment.

Mr Kakar has been serving a six-year term in Pakistan's Senate since 2018.

His mineral-rich home province of Balochistan is Pakistan's largest by size, but smallest by population, and has been a hotbed for a violent nationalist insurgency for decades.

While Mr Kakar is listed as an independent politician by the Senate, he is reported by local media to be a part of the Balochistan Awami Party, which is widely considered to be close to the country's powerful military.

The choice of caretaker prime minister has assumed heightened importance this time because the candidate will have extra powers to make policy decisions on economic matters.

The Election Commission has to draw new boundaries for hundreds of federal and provincial constituencies and, based on that, it will give an election date.

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Updated: August 13, 2023, 12:15 PM