Interim set-up: Panel fails to end impasse

PML-N ready to refer matter to ECP, govt rejects Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid outright.

ISLAMABAD:

The deadlock over the selection of a caretaker prime minister stretched into Thursday with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz geared up to referring the matter to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The eight-member parliamentary committee met inconclusively for the second day.

In its first meeting, the committee decided on its terms of reference and spoke to two of the four nominees: Justice (ret’d) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso and Rasul Bux Palijo.

In Thursday’s meeting, the committee was supposed to go over Pakistan Muslim League-N’s nominee Justice (ret’d) Nasir Aslam Zahid and Pakistan Peoples Party’s Dr Ishrat Husain for the post of interim prime minister.

A member of the committee told The Express Tribune that all four members of the PML-N unanimously rejected names proposed by Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and suggested that the matter should be handed over to the election commission.



However, PML-Quaid’s (PML-Q) Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain intervened and advised politicians to seize the opportunity, saying that the “Election Commission would [eventually] pick one of our proposed names so why [don’t] we take credit for it?”

Later, Shujaat told the media that it would be unfortunate if non-political players decided the fate of politicians.

When asked why non-political personalities were named for the slots, Shujaat said: “It does not matter which name has been proposed, since [this] is also a decision taken by politicians.”

Countering the PML-Q president’s views, PML-N’s Yaqoob Nasir said that the election commission was an institution formed by “us legislators”, and if it ended up making the final decision, there would be nothing to worry about.

Former Law Minister Senator Farooq H Naek explained his party’s reservations over the opposition’s nominee. He said that the decisions taken by Justice (ret’d) Nasir Aslam Zahid had gone against party co-chairman President Asif Ali Zardari. Naek has asked the committee for some time so he can brief them about what he said were controversial judgments passed by Justice Zahid against the PPP leadership.



The PPP’s Syed Khursheed Shah was optimistic with the developments at the meetings, despite the fatigue of other members of the panel. He said that a breakthrough on the decision was possible in tomorrow’s (Friday) meeting.

A member of the PML-N said that an agreement would only be possible if the PPP took back its proposed nominees. Otherwise, he suggested, the election commission would be a better bet.

When asked whether the ruling party would accept the election commission’s decision, both Naek and Shah evaded the question. Shah said that one should remain hopeful that they would reach a positive conclusion.

Later, the former minister for religious affairs told The Express Tribune that he knew “very well” the concerns of the opposition leader in the now dissolved National Assembly. He held Chaudhry Nisar responsible for what he said was preventing political forces from holding a successful dialogue. He added that the PML-N’s decision to go to the Supreme Court against caretaker chief minister of Sindh was irrational. “We have done all matters according to the constitutional scheme,” he said. “We still have one more day to discuss this matter.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2013.