PTI govt, opposition short-list names for CEC’s post

Fazal Abbas Mekan, a former bureaucrat, is favourite candidate, sources claim

ISLAMABAD: Talks between the government and opposition on appointment of the chief election commissioner (CEC) have entered their next phase as both the sides have agreed to short-list names of two former bureaucrats – Fazal Abbas Mekan and Ikhlaq Tarar.

According to sources, the development took place during backdoor talks between the government and opposition ahead of a parliamentary committee’s meeting that is scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday).

They said the two sides are likely to reach a consensus on Wednesday and Fazal Abbas Mekan has more chances of being selected for the key constitutional position. It will be the first time in the history of the country that a retired bureaucrat is appointed as the CEC.

Maikan’ name was proposed by the government while Tarar’s name was suggested by the opposition. The former is the Cabinet Division former secretary while the latter is former secretary for IT.

The former CEC Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan had retired last week and the post had to be filled by a caretaker election commission as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led federal government and opposition could not agree on his successor.

According to the Constitution, consultations between the prime minister, Imran Khan, and the National Assembly opposition leader, Shehbaz Sharif, are necessary for the appointment of the CEC.

However, as the PM Imran and Shehbaz did not agree on any name, the matter was handed over to a parliamentary committee. The matter of the appointment of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) members from Sindh and Balochistan is already pending in the court.

The three names proposed by the government on Thursday were that of Secretary of Election Commission Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad and two former federal secretaries – Arif Khan and Fazal Abbas Mekan.

On the other hand, three former bureaucrats proposed by opposition were Nasir Mehmood Khosa, Jalil Abbas Jillani and Akhlaq Ahmed Tarar.  Both the government and the opposition have proposed the names of those who hail from Punjab.

It seems that the PTI, which had been criticising the bureaucracy of the country for several years, has finally acknowledged credentials of the government officials who had proved their mettle during the tenures of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) governments.

This time, none of the sides has proposed the name of any retired judge or technocrat. Earlier, only judges were appointed to the post. However, after some time, this rule was amended with consensus and it was decided that a retired civil servant, or a technocrat could be appointed to the post.

[WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM KHALID RASHEED IN LAHORE]