ISLAMABAD: After the resignation of the chief election commissioner (CEC), the PPP wants all the four members of the commission to immediately quit their posts.

“I am thankful to Fakhru Bhai for listening to my voice and tendering his resignation while admitting his mistakes in the May 11 elections. He took the right step by resigning after the Supreme Court’s act of undoing his orders in the presidential elections,” Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah said while talking to reporters here on Sunday.

Mr Shah was the first political figure who had publicly called for the resignation of CEC retired Justice Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim last month for “failing to protect the independence of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)” and for allegedly showing “partiality” in the process for the presidential election.

“After the CEC, all the four members should have resigned immediately,” said Mr Shah who was the head of a parliamentary committee that had approved the appointment of Justice Ebrahim as the CEC and the ECP members last year.

Mr Shah said the PPP government had made the ECP a powerful and independent institution, but it abdicated its powers and independence.

The PPP leader expressed his surprise over the reported remarks made ‘out of context’ about the late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry during the hearing of a contempt case against PTI chief Imran Khan. Demanding an explanation or denial of the press report, he said such remarks were causing concerns among PPP workers because a reference abut the late prime minister’s case was pending before the apex court.

Replying to a question, Mr Shah said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had contacted him last week and sought time for a meeting to discuss the appointment of the new chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). He said he could not come to the capital due to health problems and now the meeting was expected to take place after Eid.

He said the Sindh government wanted to hold local bodies’ elections by December.

He criticised MQM leaders’ statements that the situation in Karachi caused by heavy rains was because of non-existence of local bodies.

He said the situation was far better than the one the people of Karachi had witnessed at the time when MQM’s Mustafa Kamal was the city nazim.

Mr Shah said the Sindh government had taken action against those found to be negligent and rainwater had been drained out from more than 60 per cent localities of the city.

The PPP leader lashed out at the government for increasing the price of oil and electricity tariff and said his party would protest against the hike in the National Assembly.

He once again warned the government against any move to change the 18th Constitution Amendment, saying such a step would be detrimental for the federation. He criticised Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi for his demand to change the gas distribution formula envisaged in the constitution.

Meanwhile, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman issued a statement on the same issue and expressed concern over the minister’s remarks and urged the PML-N to avoid raising settled issues of devolution of powers and provincial autonomy.

He said the 18th Amendment had defined distribution of resources among the provinces and the federation. “But there is a common perception that only Punjab’s needs are being catered to at the expense of smaller provinces, minorities and marginalised communities. This perception will only increase misunderstanding among the provinces and breed provincialism and ill-feelings.”

Maulana Fazl urged the PML-N to avoid tendencies of centralisation and preferably establish an oversight and watchdog body for compliance with the amendment in letter and spirit so as to strengthen federalism and provincial autonomy.