Nominations for ECP members: Shahbaz goes along with his allies’ preferences

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif went along with the names recommended by the allied parties of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for two vacancies of members in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

“We asked the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to propose nominations for the ECP member to represent Sindh. Similarly, we sought names for the Balochistan seat from the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) and Lt-Gen (R) Abdul Qadir Baloch,” PML-N Leader Rana Sanaullah told The News when contacted.

He said that neither Shahbaz Sharif nor the PML-N did propose any preference for the ECP members for Sindh and Balochistan. “We totally left it to the PPP and MMA,” he stated and added that the names suggested by them were incorporated in the letter, just dispatched to Prime Minister Imran Khan in response to his communication.

Rana Sanaullah said that the whole process reflects the unity in the opposition parties on national issues and against Imran Khan’s policies. He said that five days back, the PML-N, in its advisory committee meeting, approved the reply for the prime minister, but its dispatch was delayed because the PML-N became too busy with the action being taken by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to arrest leader of the opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz.

“We couldn’t spare time to have a second look at the letter because of this crisis. As it was over, the letter has been sent to Imran Khan,” Rana Sanaullah said. Former speaker and noted PML-N leader Sardar Ayaz Sadiq told The News that the consultations between the prime minister and opposition leader for selection of the ECP members should not be confined to mere exchange of letters. A meaningful, result-oriented consultation as prescribed by a 2011 judgment of the Supreme Court is possible through a meeting, he said.

However, he said that the opposition parties have decided that they would not hesitate for political reasons to perform their constitutional duties and no institution should suffer due to the egoistic approach of any consultee.

This is the third letter from the opposition leader in response to an equal number of communications from the prime minister or his nominees. The process to choose the ECP members was launched after the expiry of the deadline fixed for the purpose in mid-March.

First, on Imran Khan’s authorization, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi wrote a letter to Shahbaz Sharif through an additional secretary of the Foreign Office. He proposed six names, three each for every ECP member.

The opposition leader instantly rejected this letter and found faults with the involvement of an official--the additional secretary. Then, Imran Khan sent a letter to Shahbaz Sharif through his principal secretary, proposing names different from those suggested by the foreign minister.

This letter was also discarded by the opposition leader, pointing out that as per the Constitution, the premier is required to personally consult with him and no official can speak on his behalf. Imran Khan then wrote the third letter under his own signatures, which has now been replied by the addressee.

It is believed that the process may now see consummation. At least twelve names--six from each side--have come up for consideration of the two sides. If the consultees reach a consensus on any two nominations or do not agree on them, the matter will go to a 12-member parliamentary committee having equal representation of the treasury and opposition benches for hearing and confirmation of two names.

In case, the committee failed to do that for which there are chances because no side is in majority there, a deadlock will hit, and the Constitution is silent how to break the stalemate. The matter may then be raised before a superior court for interpretation of the constitutional article, dealing with the selection of the ECP members.