Appointment of Sindh, Balochistan members in ECP 'constitutional': Swati

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Azam Khan Swati, on Saturday said that the appointment of members from Sindh and Balochistan on the vacant posts of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was made in accordance with the Constitution, ARY News reported.

Azam Khan Swati, in his video message, said that the ECP appointments were finalised after holding consultations with the concerned institutions.

He further detailed that President Dr Arif Alvi appointed the ECP members on August 22 following the deadlock as an agreement was not made between the Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on the matter.

Following the lack of consensus, the matter was forwarded to the parliamentary committee which also failed to make any agreement despite the organisation of various session.

Earlier on August 22, President Dr Arif Alvi had appointed two new members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Khalid Mahmood Siddiqui and Munir Kakar had been appointed as ECP members from Sindh and Balochistan respectively, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

The two seats of ECP members fell vacant after Abdul Ghaffar Soomro and retired Justice Shakeel Baloch — the commission’s members from Sindh and Balochistan — retired in January this year.

However, opposition parties had rejected the latest appointments on the two vacant seats of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The opposition parties have decided to take legal action against the appointment of Khalid Mahmood Siddiqui and Munir Kakar on the vacant seats of ECP.