One of the main parties in Pakistan’s ruling coalition has requested that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar serve as the head of the incoming caretaker administration in an effort to continue economic reforms under an IMF agreement, according to party insiders.

According to unnamed individuals who were not authorized to speak to the media and asked to remain anonymous, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) proposed Dar’s name to its coalition partners. One of the sources claimed that no agreement has yet been reached.

“We think he could be the best bet to continue with the economic reforms agreed with the IMF,” a PML-N member told Reuters.

Pakistan secured a badly-needed $3 billion short-term financial package from the IMF last month, a much-awaited respite as it teeters on the brink of default.

When asked about the proposal by Reuters, Dar said only: “Let’s wait.”

Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb did not respond to a request for comment.

Local media have reported that the ruling coalition will dissolve parliament on Aug. 8, after which the caretaker government will have 90 days to hold a general election.

The ruling coalition replaced former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s administration after he lost a parliamentary vote of confidence in April 2022, having lost favour with the country’s powerful military. The military denies having a role in his ouster.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said that having Dar helm the caretaker government would mean it could not be impartial.

“If Ishaq Dar is to be made a caretaker prime minister, then there will be no elections but only a selection,” said PTI spokesman Farrukh Habib.