‘Judges, bureaucrats, technocrats should be eligible for becoming CEC’

ISLAMABAD: The sub-committee of the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms has finalised a proposal to allow a serving judge of the superior courts, bureaucrats and technocrats as a Chief Election Commissioner or member Election Commission.
The sub-committee in its meeting on Wednesday with Chairman Zahid Hamid presiding over decided to send its recommendation the main Committee on Electoral Reforms to allow serving judges, technocrats and bureaucrats to be considered for the post of Chief Election Commissioner and member of the Election Commission for a final decision.
Currently, under the law only retired judges from the superior judiciary were appointed as a Chief Election Commissioner and members of the Election Commission of Pakistan and if the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms agrees with this recommendation then the serving judge, technocrat and bureaucrat could also be considered for appointment as Chief Election Commissioner or member of the Election Commission of Pakistan.
During the meeting of the sub-committee the Election Commission of Pakistan has proposed an amendment in the election laws and a proposed to add words ‘federal government’ with ‘provincial governments’ in Article 140-A of the Local government laws as the local elections would also now be held at federal level (Islamabad capital territory and Cantonment Boards).
Talking to the newsmen after the meeting, Chairman sub-committee Zahid Hamid said that the amendments in the local government laws were considered under which it was proposed to made mandatory to hold elections within 120-days of expiry of tenure of local governments.
He said it was also proposed that the Election Commission of Pakistan exercise the right to hold the local government elections.Zahid Hamid told the newsmen that it was also agreed that the vacant seat of Chief Election Commissioner and Members Election Commission of Pakistan should be filled in 60-days time. He further said that it was also agreed that besides a retired judge of the Supreme Court, the sitting judge, technocrat and bureaucrat could also be appointed to the post of the Chief Election Commissioner and member Election Commission of Pakistan. ‘We will send the proposal to the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms for the final decision,” he added.
He told the newsmen that Election Commission of Pakistan has agreed on conducting the bye-elections of NA-19 through biometric system on experimental basis and it is expected that the biometric system will be used in 50 union councils of the NA-19 and after this experiment the fate of the biometric system for the next general elections would be decided.