Court case hobbles poll reform convener

After court’s ruling Hamid could not fulfil his commitments

ISLAMABAD: After judgment in General Pervez Musharraf’s high treason case by a three-member special court, the process of electoral reforms reached a standstill. This was primarily due to the personal engagement of parliamentary panel’s convener, Zahid Hamid.

An official of the National Assembly Secretariat said that after the special court’s judgment Hamid could not find any time to fulfill his parliamentary commitments. The seventh meeting of the Sub-Committee of the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms was scheduled on November 24 but was cancelled as Hamid was busy in preparation of his own defence against the court.



Although Hamid quit his ministerial slot subsequently, he did not relinquish his position as convener of the eight-member parliamentary panel.

Over 1,200 recommendations were put forward by various stakeholders to the 33-member parliamentary panel on electoral reforms headed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

The panel has already missed the three-month deadline. The other members of the eight-member sub-committee are MNA Anusha Rehman,  Senators: Aitzaz Ahsen, Raza Rabbani, Farooq Naek, Muhammad Talha Mehmood, MNAs: Naveed Qamar, Shazia Mari, Farooq Sattar, Naeema Kishwar Khan, Sahibzada Tariqullah and Aftab Sherpao.

Hamid has membership of NA standing committees on law, justice and human rights, standing committee on parliamentary affairs and standing committee on public accounts.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 3^rd, 2014.