Govt, opposition end deadlock on CEC appointment: sources

ISLAMABAD: The government and opposition have made progress for going ahead in the appointment of chief election commissioner (CEC) after ending deadlock, citing sources, ARY News reported on Friday.

The government and opposition leaders have decided to recommend new names for CEC post and withdrew all previous names, sources said.

Both sides will send new names to the parliamentary committee and a session is also scheduled next week to review the proposed names.

The government had earlier floated three names for the electoral body’s top position including incumbent ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob and two former bureaucrats Abbas Mekan and Arif Khan.

Read: PM summons Pervez Khattak to discuss CEC, ECP appointments

The opposition had suggested three names including Nasir Mahmood Khosa, Jaleel Abbas Jilani and Akhlaq Ahmed Tarar.

Former chief election commissioner Justice Retd Sardar Muhammad Raza had called it a day on December 6 upon completion of his five-year tenure amid the deadlock between the government and the opposition over nominees for the electoral body’s top post and two members from Sindh and Balochistan.

An Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) member from Punjab, Justice (Retd) Altab Ibrahim, who also happens to be a senior member of the commission, had taken oath as acting CEC on the day. The ECP member from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administered the oath to the acting chief election commissioner.

Read: Issue of CEC, ECP members soon to be decided, says Jahangir Tareen

The latest development came forth after the government and opposition sides had made consensus on the continuation of legislation process and decided to pass presidential ordinances in the Parliament.

The government and opposition have made an agreement to pass nine presidential ordinances through the Parliament, whereas, two ordinances will be forwarded to the concerned committee.

The development is being considered as a positive sign in view of running the parliamentary affairs after the government and opposition had unanimously passed Services Act amendment bills from both houses of the Parliament.