Govt nominates four PPP members
Govt nominates four parliamentarians for parliamentary commission on judges' appointment.
ISLAMABAD:
The government’s nominations for the parliamentary committee for appointment of judges under Article 175(A) has caused a stir among coalition members of the government.
On Tuesday, the government nominated four members of parliament for the eight-member committee. All those nominated are from the Treasury benches and belong to the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Two of those recommended are senators while the other two are members of the National Assembly.
In a statement, presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said that the names were finalised taking into account the recommendations made by the prime minister in a meeting with the president.
The two National Assembly members nominated as members of the parliamentary committee are Aftab Shaban Mirani from Sindh and Asma Alamgir Arbab from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The two nominated senators are Nayyar Hussain Bukhari from Punjab and Sabir Baloch from Balochistan.
The names have been chosen to represent all provinces and also to give representation to women, Babar said. The names are being communicated to the secretariats of the National Assembly and the Senate.
Meanwhile, coalition parties Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Awami National Party (ANP) have expressed reservations over the nominations, saying the government had neither consulted them nor taken them into confidence.
“We are utterly disappointed over the decision taken by the government on this count. We will try to resolve the issue through dialogue,” said Minister for Ports and Shipping Babar Ghauri of the MQM. He said that the party had not been taken on board on the matter and that MQM members would talk to the PPP leadership about the parliamentary committee.
Senator Zahid Khan, from the ANP, said that, like the tax issue, the government had not consulted his party. “ANP is disappointed over this decision. The government should not take such steps that foment discontentment and upset other parties,” he said.
The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) also reacted strongly against the nominations. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the government had not consulted the party or taken them into the loop.
“We do not accept the commission set up by the government without taking us into confidence or consulting us. This is a joke,” he said. “We are coalition partners but the PPP-led government is taking decisions on its own. We have been a part of the government through thick and thin.”
(WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM ONLINE)
Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2010.
The government’s nominations for the parliamentary committee for appointment of judges under Article 175(A) has caused a stir among coalition members of the government.
On Tuesday, the government nominated four members of parliament for the eight-member committee. All those nominated are from the Treasury benches and belong to the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Two of those recommended are senators while the other two are members of the National Assembly.
In a statement, presidential spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said that the names were finalised taking into account the recommendations made by the prime minister in a meeting with the president.
The two National Assembly members nominated as members of the parliamentary committee are Aftab Shaban Mirani from Sindh and Asma Alamgir Arbab from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The two nominated senators are Nayyar Hussain Bukhari from Punjab and Sabir Baloch from Balochistan.
The names have been chosen to represent all provinces and also to give representation to women, Babar said. The names are being communicated to the secretariats of the National Assembly and the Senate.
Meanwhile, coalition parties Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Awami National Party (ANP) have expressed reservations over the nominations, saying the government had neither consulted them nor taken them into confidence.
“We are utterly disappointed over the decision taken by the government on this count. We will try to resolve the issue through dialogue,” said Minister for Ports and Shipping Babar Ghauri of the MQM. He said that the party had not been taken on board on the matter and that MQM members would talk to the PPP leadership about the parliamentary committee.
Senator Zahid Khan, from the ANP, said that, like the tax issue, the government had not consulted his party. “ANP is disappointed over this decision. The government should not take such steps that foment discontentment and upset other parties,” he said.
The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) also reacted strongly against the nominations. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the government had not consulted the party or taken them into the loop.
“We do not accept the commission set up by the government without taking us into confidence or consulting us. This is a joke,” he said. “We are coalition partners but the PPP-led government is taking decisions on its own. We have been a part of the government through thick and thin.”
(WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM ONLINE)
Published in The Express Tribune, November 17th, 2010.