Government floats three names for CEC slot

ISLAMABAD: As the incumbent Chief Election Commissioner retired Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan’s five-year term ends on Dec 6 (tomorrow), the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has floated three names for the electoral body’s top position, ARY News reported.

Sources relayed the three names proposed for the slot include incumbent ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob and two former bureaucrats Abbas Mekan and Arif Khan.

They said the government proposed these names with approval of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

It is noteworthy that Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shahbaz Sharif through a letter to Prime Minister Khan had proposed three names for the office of the CEC.

Mr Sharif floated the names of two former bureaucrats Nasir Mehmood Khosa and Akhlaq Ahmed Tarar and former ambassador to the US Jalil Abbas Jillani for the top constitutional slot of the commission.

Earlier, on Nov 5, the opposition parties had filed a petition in the Supreme Court regarding nomination of the new chief election commissioner (CEC).

The petition signed by 11 members from the joint opposition has been submitted in the apex court and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the federal government have made party in the plea.

“Incumbent chief election commissioner (CEC) Justice (Retd) Sardar Raza will retire on December 06,” the petition read.

After his retirement the election commission will become dysfunctional, the petition said.

Article 213 has been silent in case the bipartisan parliamentary committee fails to reach an agreement, it said. The silence of the Article 213 over the situation will create a constitutional crisis, according to the petition.

“The Supreme Court is the only path in case of lack of agreement within the parliamentary panel,” the opposition petition further said.

According to the plea, remaining two members of the election commission will also be retired in coming January.

The petitioners have pleaded to the apex court to take an appropriate decision over the matter to thwart a likely constitutional crisis in the country.

It is pertinent to mention here that the meeting of a bipartisan parliamentary panel ended yesterday without reaching a decision about appointment of two members of the election commission from Sindh and Balochistan.

A government member of the panel, Shireen Mazari, had said that the matter will be decided along with nomination of the new CEC after retirement of the incumbent chief election commissioner.