ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah are expected to meet on Thursday to discuss probable names for the post of chief election commissioner (CEC).

Sources told Dawn that since the prime minister was scheduled to depart for China on Friday, the meeting between the two leaders was expected on Thursday.

On Oct 30, the Supreme Court had set a Nov 13 deadline for the appointment of the CEC.

Rejecting a request by Mr Shah for giving another three months to complete the appointment process, the apex court had warned that it would withdraw the SC judge who was currently serving as acting CEC if the appointment was not made by Nov 13.

Political experts believe that if the prime minister did not meet Mr Shah on Thursday, it would become difficult for the government and the opposition to meet the Nov 13 SC deadline.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Shah said that he wanted the prime minister to suggest three probable names for the key constitutional office of the CEC so that he could start consultation with other opposition parties and complete it by Nov 13.

Mr Shah said he had told Finance Minister Ishaq Dar last week that he would be available in Islamabad for two days during which the minister could arrange his meeting with the prime minister.

He said that so far he had neither received any schedule for the meeting nor names from the PM Office.

Under the constitution, he said, the prime minister was required to first suggest three names for the CEC office and that he would propose his names only if the opposition would have objections on the government’s nominees.

Mr Shah said that he planned to consult all opposition parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, and take them into confidence on the issue so that no one could raise fingers on the appointment of CEC.

Both the government and the opposition had earlier agreed to delay the appointment of the CEC till the Special Parliamentary Committee on Election Reforms formulated its recommendations, believing that any appointment on the key office carried out in haste could create legal and political problems as the new CEC would remain in office till 2018.

The CEC office fell vacant after retired Justice Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim resigned in July last year.

Published in Dawn, November 6th , 2014