First female acting CEC to take oath on Monday

ISLAMABAD: The country’s first female chief election commissioner, Justice (retd) Irshad Qaiser, will assume office on Monday.

She would be working as acting CEC, in the absence of Chief Election Commissioner, Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza, and two senior members. Qaiser, ECP member from Khyber-Pakhtunkwa, comes at number three in the hierarchy of the commission.



ECP on Friday issued a notification stating that the commission has delegated its powers to the acting CEC and the member Balochistan. Besides the CEC and two senior most members, secretary ECP and two district election commissioners.



Justice (retd) Shakeel Ahmed Baloch, member Balochistan who is junior most in this hierarchy would be administering oath to his senior colleague.

Legal experts believe that absence of CEC and two members will render ECP non-functional.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2016.