Haven’t received any letter for CEC appointment: Chaudhry Nisar

Leader of Opposition says chief election commissioner cannot be appointed without opposition's approval.

ISLAMABAD: Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has claimed that he has not received any letter from Federal Minister Khursheed Shah regarding the appointment of the chief election commissioner (CEC), reported Express News.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Khan said that the government requires a 2/3 majority in the parliamentary committee for the appointment of the chief election commissioner and the committee requires equal participation of the government and the opposition.

Khan added that the CEC cannot be appointed without the approval of the opposition.

Khurshid Shah

Shah informed reporters that his party has finalised three names for the post of CEC. They include Justice (retd) Munir A Sheikh, Justice (retd) Amirul Mulk Mengal and Justice (retd) Qurban Alvi.

“We will appoint the new chief election commissioner after developing consensus with PML-N on the issue,” Khurshid reiterated on Monday.

He said that the government is in a hurry to develop this consensus as soon as possible to fill the constitutional post.

Parliamentary committee 

The 12-member parliamentary committee, formed for the task by speaker National Assembly, has equal representation from the government and opposition with one-third of its members drawn from the upper house of parliament.

On April 29, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had picked out three potential candidates for the post during a meeting with retired judges of the superior courts at his residence in DHA Lahore. Later, the prime minister had sent the shortlisted names to Khan who rejected all the candidates and even questioned the authority of a ‘convicted’ Gilani whom he called a ‘stranger’ for the parliament.

The committee consists of Senator Raja Zafarul Haq, Zahid Hamid, Khawaja Asif, Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch and Tehmina Doltana from Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), Federal Minister Khurshid Shah, Senator Islamuddin Sheikh and Arif Aziz Sheikh from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) and Federal Minister Overseas Pakistanis Farooq Sattar from Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Awami National Party’s (ANP) Senator Haji Adeel and PML-Quaid MNA Chaudhry Ghais Mala are also members of the committee.