PML-N, Q finalise judicial commission nominations

PML-N, PML-Q nominate Mehtab Khan and Ishaq Dar as members of parliamentary committee for judicial commission.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) have nominated Mehtab Khan and Ishaq Dar as members of parliamentary committee for the judicial commission.

The decision was made at a meeting held between the leaders of both parties at the Punjab House in Islamabad.

According to sources, the PML-Q wanted to nominate both members from its party but the PML-N asked the party to review its decision.

A meeting in this regard was also held between PML-N’s Ishaq Dar and PML-Q leader President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain to this effect in the chambers of the senate opposition leader Waseem Sajjad on Wednesday.

The PML-N demanded to review the decision of proposing both names from the PML-Q for constituting a parliamentary committee for judges’ appointment.

Today (Thursday) PML–Q and PML–N jointly agreed on the names Mehtab Khan and Ishaq Dar.

Updated from print edition (below)

PML-Q back in limelight

In the rapidly changing political situation, the third largest but internally-split party – the PML-Q – is gaining central stage with both the ruling PPP and the opposition PML-N approaching it for cooperation – a big boost for a party struggling for its survival.

PML-N Parliamentary Leader Ishaq Dar on Wednesday met PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain whose cousin Pervaiz Ellahi is simultaneously engaged in parallel negotiations with the PPP.

In the meeting held in the chamber of Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Waseem Sajjad, the two leaders apparently discussed nominations for the Judicial Commission tasked to appoint judges in the superior courts … but the ‘political situation in general’ was very much focus of the meeting, both sides confirmed.

Ishaq Dar, a central leader of the Nawaz League, is a close relative of the Sharif brothers, who until recently have been expressing their strong animosity for the Chaudhrys, but some political pundits say it might be for public consumption.

Hussain has convened a meeting of PML-Q parliamentarians today (Thursday) to take them into confidence on the recent contacts with the PPP and PML-N. The meeting will also determine how many among 52 MNAs and 20-plus senators of the Q-League are still with the Chaudhrys.

The party faced a major defection last year when a group of its disgruntled members formed a separate faction – commonly known as PML-Likeminded. However, Hussain hopes many of the members of the breakaway faction will return back to his party.

Coming out from their meeting Dar and Hussain said they discussed nominations for the proposed parliamentary commission to be formed under  Article 175-A of the constitution.

Under the 18th amendment, nominations for judges coming through the Judicial Commission would be finalised by an eight-member parliamentary commission. These nominations have to come from leaders of the house and leaders of the opposition. The nominations made by the leader of the house and the leader of the opposition in the Senate created uproar in the house the other day since both picked two members each from their own parties ignoring all other groups.

Waseem Sajjad had nominated himself and his party’s President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain for the commission. The PML-N in Thursday’s meeting proposed the name of Raja Zafarul Haq. It is likely that Sajjad and Haq will now be representing the opposition in the Senate on the proposed parliamentary commission.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 4^th, 2010.