Omar, Shibli move IHC against delay in CEC, ECP members appointment

ISLAMABAD: Leaders of Opposition in the National Assembly and the Senate - Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz - have filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against a delay in the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) members.

The federal government, Senate chairman, National Assembly speaker and ECP have been made respondents in the petition. The petitioners have taken the plea that CEC as well as Member Sindh and Member Balochistan have completed their service tenure, and therefore, the Constitution is being violated by delaying the new appointments. The petitioners requested that the court should maintain that the Prime Minister, NA speaker and Senate chairman have failed in discharging their constitutional responsibility. It stated that the court should direct the NA speaker to constitute a parliamentary committee and give names of NA members, and direct chairman Senate to send names of senators to the speaker NA. The petitioners also requested the court to issue directives to the prime minister to hold meaningful talks with opposition leader under Article 213 of the Constitution, and that the court should declare illegal staying in posts by CEC and members of the commission despite expiry of their constitutional terms.