ECP appointments: Shehbaz Sharif writes letter to PM Khan

ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif, has responded Prime Minister Imran Khan’s letter regarding key appointments of two members of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Consultations between the PM Imran Khan and Shehbaz Sharif caused a time lag as the opposition leader dispatched a response letter to the premier.

Sharif mentioned the alleged violation of some articles of the Constitution in his letter again.

The opposition leader suggested three names each for the vacant posts in ECP’s Sindh and Balochistan.

For Balochistan, Senior Advocate Supreme Court Shah Muhammad Jatoi, Chief Justice (Retd.) Balochistan High Court Muhammad Noor Meskanzai and former advocate general of Balochistan Muhammad Rauf Ata were recommended.

Sharif recommended three names including Justice (Retd.) Abdul Rasool Memon, Khalid Javed Advocate and Justice (Retd.) Noor-ul-Haq Qureshi for ECP’s Sindh chapter.

Earlier, on April 2, Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a four-page letter, had rejected all objections and allegations hurled by the president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) that the government is in violation of the Constitution by delaying the finalisation of the names of the ECP members from Balochistan and Sindh.

Read More: Govt, opposition indecisive on appointment of two ECP members

“Written consultation is surely preferred,” writes Mr Khan in the letter. “I again stress your good self to participate in the consultative process by giving your views in writing. In case you do not participate in the consultative process, the people of Pakistan and myself shall have no other option but to presume that you are evading the legal process, in which event further rights shall be reserved,” writes Mr Khan, without further elaboration.

A standoff between the government and the opposition over the appointment of two remaining members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) isn’t yet settled.

The appointments pushed into delay since the retirement of its two members on January 26.

Under the Constitution, the ECP comprises a chief election commissioner and four members, one from each province. The vacant seat of a member of the election commission to be filled within a period of 45 days.

ECP had written a letter to the federal government to allocate new representatives till March 13. It has been told that appointments should be made from Sindh and Balochistan within 45 days of the retirements.