New election chief takes oath
The position that had been vacant for over a year was filled after three names were shortlisted for the post
ISLAMABAD:
The new chief election commissioner (CEC), Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza, took his oath of office on Saturday.
Raza, 69, a retired Supreme Court judge, was sworn in as Chief Election Commissioner by Chief Justice of Pakistan Nasir-ul-Mulk, the Supreme Court said in a statement on Saturday.
The position- which had been vacant for over a year- was filled after three names were shortlisted for the post on December 3.
Justice (retd) Raza, Justice (retd) Tanvir Ahmad Khan and Justice (retd) Tariq Pervez were the three candidates shortlisted for the post when Ishaq Dar -on behalf of the prime minister- and Khurshid Shah held discussions on Wednesday.
Months of procrastination and uncertainty came to an end when the federal government finally appointed Justice Raza as CEC for the next five years.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had been without a permanent chief since the previous chief Fakhruddin G Ebrahim resigned in July last year after the Supreme Court ordered him to change the dates of the presidential election.
Ebrahim conducted the landmark May 2013 election, which for the first time saw the transition from one civilian government to another.
The new chief election commissioner (CEC), Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza, took his oath of office on Saturday.
Raza, 69, a retired Supreme Court judge, was sworn in as Chief Election Commissioner by Chief Justice of Pakistan Nasir-ul-Mulk, the Supreme Court said in a statement on Saturday.
The position- which had been vacant for over a year- was filled after three names were shortlisted for the post on December 3.
Justice (retd) Raza, Justice (retd) Tanvir Ahmad Khan and Justice (retd) Tariq Pervez were the three candidates shortlisted for the post when Ishaq Dar -on behalf of the prime minister- and Khurshid Shah held discussions on Wednesday.
Months of procrastination and uncertainty came to an end when the federal government finally appointed Justice Raza as CEC for the next five years.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had been without a permanent chief since the previous chief Fakhruddin G Ebrahim resigned in July last year after the Supreme Court ordered him to change the dates of the presidential election.
Ebrahim conducted the landmark May 2013 election, which for the first time saw the transition from one civilian government to another.