Forming the election commission: JUI-F to represent govt in key parliamentary panel

Maulana Attaur Rehman, Maulana Fazl’s brother, to be nominated to represent treasury benches in parliamentary panel.

ISLAMABAD: Despite parting ways from the ruling coalition, a key leader of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam will be representing the treasury benches in an important parliamentary panel for the appointment of members of the election commission.

In line with the provisions of the 18th constitutional amendment, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has to nominate four members from the National Assembly to represent the government in the 12-member parliamentary committee – which, under the new rules, is to approve four members for the election commission. All four members must be retired high court judges from  each province.

The Express Tribune has learnt that the JUI-F member to be nominated is Maulana Attaur Rehman, the younger brother of Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Eight of the 12 members will be from the National Assembly and four from the Senate.  Half of the members from each house have to be from the opposition.

The leader of the house and leader of opposition from both houses are to give nominations to the National Assembly speaker, who will then notify the committee.

The leaders of the house and opposition in the Senate and the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly have given their nominations, while the leader of house in the National Assembly (the prime minister) is yet to forward the names of four people that will represent the government.

Sources said that the prime minister has decided to nominate Maulana Attaur Rehman, Munir Khan Orakzai, Syed Khursheed Shah and Dr Farooq Sattar to represent the coalition government. The decision came after Gilani consulted Maulana Fazl, JUI-F sources said.

The Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had recommended the names of Sardar Mahtab Abbasi, Amir Muqam, Tehmina Doltana and Abdul Qadir Baloch to represent the opposition in the committee.

From the Senate, Raja Zafarul Haq and Haroon Akhtar Khan will represent the opposition and Haji Adeel and Islamuddin Sheikh will represent the treasury.

The National Assembly secretariat has confirmed that, barring the prime minister’s nominations, it has received all other nominations for the committee. Government sources said that Gilani will send the names of the four nominees to the speaker soon.

After the 18th amendment, most powers of the chief election commissioner have been withdrawn and they have been given to the election commission, which comprises five members, including the chief election commissioner.

Many important decisions in the election commission remained pending during the last year, since the commission was not complete.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2011.