New CEC to be named by Dec 5: Shah
AGP seeks more time from SC for filling constitutional slot .
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah vowed in a meeting on Monday that they would name a new chief election commissioner (CEC) before December 5, the date a serving Supreme Court will cease to act as CEC.
The top court had directed the government to appoint a permanent CEC by December 1. Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Salman Aslam Butt would once again plead before the top court today (Tuesday) for more time as the prime minister and the opposition leader failed to forge consensus on a name on Monday.
After the meeting with the prime minister, Khursheed Shah told reporters that they discussed potential candidates for the post from a list of retired judges of the Supreme Court. “Some of the names were taken up for the first time,” he said but didn’t disclose the names.
“I cannot tell you the names,” Shah said. “Those people might also refuse [to take up the post] as a discussion would ensue over [merits and demerits of] their personalities.” He said six to seven names came under discussion but no final decision was taken during the meeting.
The meeting between the two came amid unrelenting pressure from the Supreme Court which has been pressing the government and the opposition leader hard to fill the constitutional office that has been lying vacant for over 16 months now.
Last month, the Supreme Court had notified that it would withdraw its judge from the ECP where he is serving as acting CEC in the absence of a permanent commissioner.
At Monday’s hearing in the top court, AGP Butt told a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk, that Khurshid Shah has returned from abroad and a breakthrough was expected during his meeting with prime minister later in the day.
The AGP said he was hopeful that both leaders would agree on a consensus name. He, however, requested the bench for time until December 5.
Upon this, the bench asked him to give an undertaking that the appointment would be made by December 5. The AGP stated that instructions would be required in this regard from the authorities concerned.
Justice Gulzar Ahmad asked the AGP if the government was considering constitutional amendment for changing the criteria for the appointment of CEC. Salman replied that he was unaware of any constitutional amendment being mulled. In the meantime, the court gave him some time for seeking instruction in this regard.
LG polls
The court has also directed Election Commission of Pakistan and the Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa (K-P) government to announce the schedule for Local Government (LG) elections.
Advocate General K-P Latif Yousafzai told the bench that the provincial government has agreed to hold LG polls until spring season of 2015 without adopting the biometric system, adding that they just wanted to use the biometric system in Peshawar district.
On a query of the bench, AG K-P Latif Yousafzai said that if the commission selected any district for using the biometric system, then the provincial government would have no objection.
Upon this, the chief justice observed that this was a matter between the ECP and K-P and both should settle these issues and announce a schedule for the LG polls in the province.
Meanwhile, the bench rejected the Punjab and Sindh governments’ report for carrying out delimitation process for LG polls.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 2nd, 2014.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah vowed in a meeting on Monday that they would name a new chief election commissioner (CEC) before December 5, the date a serving Supreme Court will cease to act as CEC.
The top court had directed the government to appoint a permanent CEC by December 1. Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Salman Aslam Butt would once again plead before the top court today (Tuesday) for more time as the prime minister and the opposition leader failed to forge consensus on a name on Monday.
After the meeting with the prime minister, Khursheed Shah told reporters that they discussed potential candidates for the post from a list of retired judges of the Supreme Court. “Some of the names were taken up for the first time,” he said but didn’t disclose the names.
“I cannot tell you the names,” Shah said. “Those people might also refuse [to take up the post] as a discussion would ensue over [merits and demerits of] their personalities.” He said six to seven names came under discussion but no final decision was taken during the meeting.
The meeting between the two came amid unrelenting pressure from the Supreme Court which has been pressing the government and the opposition leader hard to fill the constitutional office that has been lying vacant for over 16 months now.
Last month, the Supreme Court had notified that it would withdraw its judge from the ECP where he is serving as acting CEC in the absence of a permanent commissioner.
At Monday’s hearing in the top court, AGP Butt told a three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk, that Khurshid Shah has returned from abroad and a breakthrough was expected during his meeting with prime minister later in the day.
The AGP said he was hopeful that both leaders would agree on a consensus name. He, however, requested the bench for time until December 5.
Upon this, the bench asked him to give an undertaking that the appointment would be made by December 5. The AGP stated that instructions would be required in this regard from the authorities concerned.
Justice Gulzar Ahmad asked the AGP if the government was considering constitutional amendment for changing the criteria for the appointment of CEC. Salman replied that he was unaware of any constitutional amendment being mulled. In the meantime, the court gave him some time for seeking instruction in this regard.
LG polls
The court has also directed Election Commission of Pakistan and the Khyber-Pukhtunkhwa (K-P) government to announce the schedule for Local Government (LG) elections.
Advocate General K-P Latif Yousafzai told the bench that the provincial government has agreed to hold LG polls until spring season of 2015 without adopting the biometric system, adding that they just wanted to use the biometric system in Peshawar district.
On a query of the bench, AG K-P Latif Yousafzai said that if the commission selected any district for using the biometric system, then the provincial government would have no objection.
Upon this, the chief justice observed that this was a matter between the ECP and K-P and both should settle these issues and announce a schedule for the LG polls in the province.
Meanwhile, the bench rejected the Punjab and Sindh governments’ report for carrying out delimitation process for LG polls.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 2nd, 2014.