ECP appointment process hits snags before start

The govt and opposition makes conflicting claims over their contacts and exchanging lists of their respective nominees

ISLAMABAD: The controversy over the appointment of four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has started making rounds.

The government and the opposition have been making conflicting claims over their contacts and exchanging lists of their respective nominees.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who has been negotiating with Opposition Leader Khurshid Shah on behalf of the prime minister, claimed on Monday that he has conveyed the names from the government side to Shah.

However, immediately after Dar’s claim, the office of the opposition leader contradicted him and said he (the opposition leader) is still waiting for the government’s list.

“I have not received any names from the government yet,” Shah said in a statement issued by his office.



“I will consult other political parties once I receive the proposed names from the government,” he added.

Earlier in a short statement, Dar claimed that he had a telephonic contact with Shah and conveyed him the names being proposed by the government. This triggered interests in the media and political parties since the two sides had decided to exchange their lists after Eid. The PTI is complaining that the opposition leader has not yet taken it on board.

Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid was reported as saying that the government has already conveyed its proposed names to the opposition and now the ball is in their court.

The only informal meeting between the finance minister and the opposition leader had taken place soon after the budget session, the media coordinator of Shah told The Express Tribune. He said Dar made a call to Shah on Sunday but that was restricted to exchanging ‘Eid’ greetings.

“No exchange of names took place,” he added. Under the constitution, ECP members have to be appointed within 45 days after their offices fall vacant. Its four members had retired on June 24, leaving the commission non-functional.

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