Both government and opposition parties are in quandary over consulting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) leadership for the appointment of a future chief election commissioner days before the Supreme Court’s third deadline for finalising a nominee is about to expire, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Sources said the government and the opposition are confused because earlier their common nominee for the position – Justice (retd) Tassaduq Hussain Jillani – had refused to accept the post after Imran Khan voiced his reservation over the choice in a public rally in Rahim Yar Khan.
“If we consult and share new names for position of the CEC with the PTI chief Imran Khan, he might publicly reject his name but if we they don’t’ approach him for consultation, he might raise a hullabaloo over it as well,” said one of the federal ministers.
He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has decided to wait for the return of the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khurshid Shah from Britain to decide whether to approach the PTI or not.
Sources said that both Shah and Senator Ishaq Dar have discussed some new names for the CEC via telephone but Shah said he would finalise them in Pakistan upon consultation with other political parties in the country.
He said the government and the opposition have neither started consultation with any political party nor finalised any new name. “The government has also not called the meeting of parliamentary committee on the appointment of the CEC,” he said.
Earlier, the SC had set October 28 and then November 13 as deadlines for appointment of the CEC but government and opposition could not meet that deadline. And now November 24 is the third deadline, which is going to expire on Monday.
In its previous hearing, the SC had threatened to withdraw the acting CEC Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, a serving judge of the apex court. For the last 16 months the office of the CEC is lying vacant in the wake of Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G Ibrahim’s resignation.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Information Minister Senator Pervaiz Rashid had earlier said it had taken government and opposition parties four months to reach consensus on Justice Jillani. “But Imran Khan’s irrational and childish attitude sabotaged that process,” he said.
Earlier, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had proposed three names – Justice Jillani, Justice Saeeduzaman Siddiqui and Justice Rana Bhagwandas – while PPP had proposed the name of Justice Ajmal Mian and Justice (retd) Tariq Pervez.
However, all political parties in the parliament later agreed on the name of Jilani, who refused to accept the post after the PTI chief’s criticism.
The head of Parliamentary Committee for CEC’s appointment Senator Rafique Rajwana said there is no schedule of a committee meeting before November 24, which is the SC deadline.
He said that if the leader of the house and leader of opposition in the NA agreed on any name they would send it to the committee for voting and election. “The committee will finalise the name within 14 days,” he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 23rd, 2014.
COMMENTS (11)
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@Bashir: In India there is a 3-member election commission. They are from the Indian Administrative Service and they wield enormous power. The famous among the election commissioners was T.N. Sheshan (aka alsatian). He was so powerful that he sent the then PM Indira Ghandi to Prison. Here, the politicians want to eat the cake and also keep it. An honest CEC is never acceptable coz he cannot be manipulated at the whims of the ruling parties.
Why it is necessary to appoint a Supreme Court judge as chief election commissioner. What is the criteria of such appointment in India ? Can anyone throw some light ?
They should totally ignoring IMran khan . Imran Khan can't hunt with the hounds and run with the hare.
Either he is in the democratic system or he's not. Right now he is not. You can't insite violence and ask for representation in the parliament at the same time.
The SC will most probably give another deadline. Thats the way it happens in this country.
When the government is incapable or unwilling to follow SC orders.......there is really not much the SC can do.....all it has is moral authority and once that's gone....then what ?
If these 2 political parties were serious in appointment of CEC, what were they doing for the past 1 year ? why they forced SC to give a deadline ? then all complain that SC is interfering .....
If Nawaz or Shah have reservations about anyone that is OK but if Khan has reservations that is childish. Come on accept the truth that the biggest Party of Pakistan and symbol of federation is PTI. PMLN not even is a party of Punjab anymore, with no existence in other provinces.
This method of selection is very wrong. The PM and opposition leader can select the person who is in their good books and will follow their commands. A separate board of directors should selection the most competent man for this job.
Good Jilani refused. He knows very well that PTi and IK will not leave him if he doesnot do justice in Election reforms.
It is a Shame that PMLn has failed to appoint any permanent CEC for the last one and half years. This shows their true intentions that they want Election Commission to remain a toothless institution.