Appointment of CEC to be finalised before Dec 1: Khursheed Shah
He said a ‘desire of consensus’ led to a failure in the appointment of CEC, adding that the appointment would be made before the deadline set by the Supreme Court.
“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif contacted me for consultation, but I was in an assembly session. Later, I telephoned him, but he was in the mosque for Friday prayers,” Shah said, adding that because of time constraints, a one-on-one meeting was not possible with the premier.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk, set a deadline for the government and opposition to appoint a new CEC by December 1 and warned that further delay may cause the court to issue a notice to the chief executive of the country.
The apex court also withdrew the notification of its judge, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, as acting CEC with effect of December 5.
Shah, in response to a question, confessed that he was still not sure which candidate would be suitable for the slot of CEC.
“Former chief justice Tassadaq Hussain Jillani was the best choice, but because of Imran Khan’s allegations, he backtracked from the race,” he added.
“I would recommend Imran Khan’s name for CEC,” Shah said appearing to be irritated, and adding that Imran had criticised every candidate suggested by the government and the opposition.
Shah also held the government responsible for not amending the Constitution to find a suitable candidate for the position of the CEC.
After the assembly session, the leader of the opposition, while addressing the media in his chamber, said the restriction to choose only a judge for the CEC post was problematic since most judges are aged, and the position is very demanding.
“We want to see someone young, energetic and committed,” he added. “We tried to consult to each political party for a consensus based on the appointment of the CEC.”
“Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) had suggested a candidate for CEC but we informed them about our political issue with him,” Shah said.
Criticising the PTI, he said the party was demanding reforms but was not participating in the process of electoral reforms.
Further, Shah said, “We will pick one name among the proposed names of aged judges,” referring to the failure of the attorney general of Pakistan (AGP) to initiate a process for an amendment in the Constitution to broaden the scope of choice for the appointment of the position.
“I approached the apex court seeking permission to amend the Constitution, but despite assurance by the AGP, the government could not initiate the process of a constitutional amendment,” Shah said.
“One thing I can tell you with clarity is that we have no option but to pick a 70-plus candidate for CEC,” he concluded.
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“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif contacted me for consultation, but I was in an assembly session. Later, I telephoned him, but he was in the mosque for Friday prayers,” Shah said,
So we know now that Prime Minister does not attend assembly sessions and Shah sb did not go for Friday prayers this week...otherwise they have all the time in the world but they are hard pressed for a one-on-one meeting to decide a national issue!!
The man is back. After checking his investment portfolios. Things are good and fine in the fair city of London. Specially if you are making money there. Shah,..? Thar..? No, he is too busy with Nawaz's work load.
The former Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim resigned not yesterday, or the day before or even last week or month but a good sixteen months back. As such, the government had much more than ample time to find a consensus candidate or even to amend the constitution to vastly increase the pool from which a CEC could be picked. Also, with widespread complaints and protests about the conduct of 2013 elections, and Nawaz Sharif's agreement to the need for a reform of the electoral process, the appointment of a capable and energetic person as CEC acquired even greater importance. In these circumstances, continuing and deliberate attempts to stall the appointment of a CEC points to nothing but a calculated move to delay the reforms and to prevent investigation, as long as possible, for mutual benefit of ruling party and the loyal opposition.
Karachi
Honour amongst theives. Cant find a decent retiree.