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Friday March 29, 2024

Appointment of ECP members: Deadlock between govt, opposition persists

By Asim Yasin
December 05, 2019

ISLAMABAD: The deadlock between the government and opposition persisted on the matter of picking the two members the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and members of the Election Commission of Pakistan ended without any result and deferred its meeting till next week.

The meeting ended without any result after the opposition demanded that matter of appointment of Chief Election Commissioner, who is to be retired on December 6, should also be taken along with the matter of the appointment of two ECP members from Sindh and Balochistan.

The meeting was held with its chairperson Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari was in the chair.

With adjournment of the meeting till next week, the ECP will be dysfunctional on December 6.

Parliamentary committee held a brief session on Wednesday and the opposition came up with the demand to the government to share its nominees for the post of Chief Election Commission before to further proceed on the matter of the appointment of ECP members.

Sources said the opposition fears if the decision on ECP members was taken, the government, instead of nominating anyone else, will prefer to continue with the acting chief election commissioner.

Under the rules, the senior most member out of the four members of the ECP, could be appointed as an acting chief election commissioner.

The quorum of the Election Commission of Pakistan comprised 3 members and it could not be completed with two members — Justice (R) Altaf Ibrahim Qureshi from Punjab and Justice (R) Mrs Irshad Qureshi — and the presence of third member of the ECP is must for the completion of the quorum.

The two ECP members from Sindh and Balochistan retired on January 2, 2019 and under the constitution it was mandatory to fill in the posts within 45 days of their retirement but due to non-working relationship between the government and opposition, the posts could not be filled in according to constitutional deadline.

Talking with the newsmen after the meeting, Dr Shireen Mazari said the committee has decided to take a decision on members of the ECP along with the Chief Election Commissioner. “We will now hold meeting next week to take a decision on three posts together,” she said.

She said the government and opposition are moving inches towards the consensus on this issue.

Dr Shireen Mazari said the Parliamentary Committee has not received the names for the post of Chief Election Commissioner from the Prime Minister yet.

She said the extension would be sought from the court with regard to finalising the names of two ECP members.

Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf who was representing PPP in the Parliamentary Committee told the newsmen after the meeting that the efforts were being made to bring the capable person in the ECP which is an important institution. “We are trying to bring the person in the ECP on merit so that no one cast any fingers at their credibility,” he said.

He said the appointments of the Chief Election Commissioner and members of the ECP will be made together.

Senator Mushahidullah Khan of the PML-N said the matter of the appointment of the members of the ECP could not be settled so easily.

He said the politics is game of give and take and in politics things only be moved on the basis of give and take.

He said principally this task has to be completed in the stipulated time as the ECP is a constitutional institution. “Now the ECP will be dysfunctional as the prime minister did not like to shake hands with opposition leader and make everything to issue of his ego,” he said.

He said the government did not show the serious attitude towards this issue and now it will be strange that they will seek other 15 days from the Islamabad High Court. “The government which cannot make a notification of extension of the Army Chief and how it will handle this issue,” he said.

Meanwhile, according to sources, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar decided to seek 10 days more from Islamabad High Court.

A consultative meeting at the Chamber of Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani was held that was attended by Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar, Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak, Leader of the House in the Senate Shibli Faraz, And Sardar Ayaz Sadiq from opposition in which it decided to seek another 10 days from the Islamabad high Court.

Meanwhile, the government has replaced Syed Fakhar Imam and in his place Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak inducted as a member in the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and members of the Election Commission of Pakistan while the PML-N has also inducted Shiza Fatima Khawaja in place of Murtaza Javed Abbasi.