The ECP saga

The issue of major appointments in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is becoming a never-ending saga. In the latest development, the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan and members of the ECP is planning to hold a meeting this week in yet another bid to break the logjam in the process. Both the government and the opposition have been facing a deadlock on the matter and have been unable to reach a consensus on key appointments that need to be made as early as possible so that the ECP can come out of this crisis of leadership. Now a bilateral agreement seems to have been developed to propose new names for the vacant positions. Earlier, on January 1, 2020, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had granted another 15 days for the appointments of the CEC and the members of the ECP.

It is noteworthy that Senator Javed Abbasi and MNA Nisar Cheema had approached the IHC to intervene in the matter and issue directives so that the matter could be resolved. When the matter was referred to the parliamentary committee, some of its members could not attend the meeting for various reasons, resulting in further delay. It was the 18th Amendment in the constitution of Pakistan that had in 2010 introduced a useful condition of consensus building before the appointment of a new ECP. If the government and the opposition fail to reach an agreement, the matter is referred to the parliamentary committee, which was first formed in 2011. Now the adviser to the National Assembly, Abdul Latif Yousufzai informed the IHC that the rules made by the parliamentary committee of 2011 are hampering the process of new nominations. Essentially, it is not the rules but the inability of the new committee to develop a consensus that is causing the delay.

The PPP representative in the parliamentary committee, former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, has disclosed that his party was waiting for the new names to be suggested by the government. This means that the ball is in the government’s court and it should come up with the new names before the deadline given by the IHC ends on January 15. Essentially, the names suggested must be of impeccable record, with a known career history of impartiality that is so important for somebody leading or working in the ECP. The candidates must also be able to withstand the pressure of the election process and the burden of a huge exercise that is involved in holding the elections. Let’s hope that this time around the deadline is met and we do get a well-functioning ECP again.