Opposition meets tomorrow on ECP appointments, ToRs

Khursheed asks Nawaz to clear his name

ISLAMABAD: The joint opposition will meet tomorrow (Wednesday) to discuss the appointment of members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and discuss the terms of reference (ToRs) for the PanamaLeaks probe.

On Monday, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah and deputy parliamentary leader of the PTI in the National Assembly Shah Mehmood Qureshi discussed possible names for members of the Election Commission, aiming to finalise these names within the next two days so that these could be presented to the parliamentary committee on the appointment of members of the ECP.

On Monday evening, Khursheed Shah held a meeting with president of the PML-Q Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to discuss 12 names for the post of members of the Election Commission.

It is expected that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar would hold a meeting with Khursheed Shah today (Tuesday) to give 12 names to create a consensus on the appointment of the ECP members.

Following the meeting with Ishaq Dar, the joint opposition will meet tomorrow to discuss the names sent by the federal government and to finalise their names which they would send to the parliamentary committee for initiating the process of the appointment before July 25, which is the constitutional deadline for finalising the appointment of the ECP members. The joint opposition will also discuss the ToRs for the PanamaLeaks probe in the meeting.

“We are making efforts to bring credible and impartial names for the appointment of the ECP members which include technocrats, bureaucrats, retired judges, renowned lawyers and even a name of prominent journalist so that the next general elections could be held in free and fair manner,” Khursheed Shah said while talking to media persons at his chamber after consultation with opposition leaders.

He said the opposition will give credible names for the vacant posts of the ECP members. To a question on PanamaLeaks, the opposition leader said the government is running away from probing the issue. “We are not shying away from accountability but the probe should initiate from PanamaLeaks and other issues should come next. 

He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should present himself for accountability and he should not shy away from probing of the PanamaLeaks. “It is chance for the prime minister to clear his name,” he added. He said no opposition party will lend its shoulder to the Nawaz government on the issue.

To a question regarding the statement of Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid on Shimla Agreement, the opposition leader said it seems that the minister has not read the history, otherwise he would not have made such a statement. “Such kind of statement only affected the cause of Kashmir,” he added.

Khursheed said on one hand the Indians are continuing their aggression against the Kashmiris while on the other the Nawaz Sharif government was more interested in friendship with the Modi government. “The PPP always stood with the Kashmiris and supported their cause,” he added.

In a reply to a question regarding ongoing election tussle and violence between the PPP and PML-N workers in the AJK elections, Khursheed held the federal government responsible for the violence, saying that two federal ministers and one adviser was sitting in AJK to control the elections and these federal ministers are using provocative language which has caused violent incidents.

Shah Mehmood Qureshi said consultation within the opposition is going on the issue of the finalising the opposition nominations for the posts of ECP members. “No decision has been taken yet and the names which were circulated in the media were only based on speculations,” he added.

He termed the meetings with the opposition leaders of the Senate and National Assembly as productive. He said formal meeting of the joint opposition will be held on this issue on Wednesday.

The constitutional tenure of four members of the Election Commission was completed on June 10 and since then the ECP is dysfunctional and under the 22nd constitutional amendment the vacant posts of the members should be filled within 45 days.

Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid has been elected as a chairman of the 12-member parliamentary committee on appointment of the chief election commissioner and members of the Election Commission.

Under the constitutional procedure of appointment of members of the Election Commission, the prime minister, in consultation with the opposition leader in the National Assembly, is required to forward three names each for appointment to every vacant position of ECP member to a parliamentary committee for hearing and confirmation of any one person. In case, there is no consensus between the prime minister and the opposition leader, each of them shall forward separate lists to the parliamentary committee for consideration and confirmation of any one individual.

According to 22nd constitutional amendment, in case there was no consensus between the prime minister and the leader of the opposition over the appointment of the chief election commissioner, then both of them would send separate lists to the parliamentary committee for consideration and the committee would approve one of them. The amendment provides that one member of the commission would be taken from each province.