Poll body chief: Imran to be consulted over selection of CEC, says Shah

Leader of opposition in NA says the govt has not contacted him for consultation

ISLAMABAD:

Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Khurshid Shah has put on government the responsibility for delay in hiring the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) – a constitutional office lying vacant for more than a year now.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday, Shah – who represents PPP – said the government has not contacted him for consultations over the issue. Under the existing constitutional framework, the prime minister has to appoint the CEC in consultation with the National Assembly’s leader of opposition.

Shah said being Leader of Opposition he would be contacting other political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for opposition’s joint nominee for the post.

In case prime minister and leader of opposition fail to reach consensus over one name, the two send their separate lists of three names each to a parliamentary panel – specially constituted for this purpose – which selects one name.



There is no permanent CEC in the country for more than a year. Justice (retd) Fakharuddin G Ebrahim had resigned from the post in July last year, when opposition political parties levelled allegations of rigging in general elections held in May and later in the presidential polls held in July 2013.

The Supreme Court has been pressing the government to appoint a CEC immediately. The court has threatened the government it will withdraw its sitting senior judge from Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) where he performs as the acting CEC in addition to his judicial functions in the apex court.

In this regard, the court had given the government and Shah a deadline till October 28 to make an appointment.

Shah had filed a plea with the court to grant three-week time to make this appointment. He was of the view that a parliamentary committee on electoral reforms is working on a comprehensive package of reforms in the electoral system.

The court, however, had rejected the application for granting more time and ordered to fill the post by November 13.

In this backdrop, a meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Syed Khurshid Shah was expected today. However, when approached, Shah claimed that the government has not contacted him so far.

“The prime minister has not contacted me regarding appointment of the CEC. It proves that the delay is on part of government,” he told reporters.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2014.