Efforts begin to stave off ECP crisis

The opposition and the government have stepped into action to ward off the crisis of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) being rendered ineffective with the chief election commissioner (CEC) set to retire on December 6 and two members of the commission yet to be appointed.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, has proposed three names for the post of the CEC in a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan. He wrote another letter to the National Assembly speaker and the Senate chairman, recommending names for the posts of the ECP members from Sindh and Balochistan.

Similarly, the premier also wrote to the National Assembly speaker and Senate chairman, suggesting names for the positions of the election commission members from the two provinces.

In a letter to PM Imran dated November 25, Shehbaz, who is currently in London for the treatment of his brother and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, proposed the names of former bureaucrat Nasir Mehmood Khosa, former ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani and retired grade-22 officer Akhlaq Ahmed Tarar for the post of the CEC.

"Article 213 (2A) of the Constitution required that ' the prime minister shall in consultation with the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly forward three names for appointment of a commission to a parliamentary committee for hearing and confirmation of anyone…', Shehbaz wrote explaining the process for the appointment of the CEC.

"In my opinion, the consultative process required under the above provision should have been initiated by you [PM Imran] much earlier," he complained.

"However, in an attempt to avoid possible discontinuity in the functioning of the ECP which is a constitutional body, I am taking the initiative after a long wait with a hope to hear from you."