ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Tuesday blasted the government for its failure to appoint two members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) within the period of 45 days stipulated in the Constitution.

Members of the ECP from Sindh and Balochistan — Abdul Ghaffar Memon and retired Justice Shakeel Baloch — had retired on Jan 26 and their replacements under the Constitution should have been appointed within 45 days — a period which lapsed on Tuesday.

A meeting of the parliamentary committee on appointment of the chief election commissioner (CEC) and ECP members had been convened to meet on Tuesday, but was cancelled at the last minute.

Talking to Dawn, PPP parliamentary leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman questioned the purpose of convening the meeting when a consultation between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif on appointment of ECP members was yet to commence.

She regretted that the fate of the process which should have been completed by now still hangs in balance. She said a consultation between the prime minister and the opposition leader was a mandatory requirement for the purpose. She slated the government for the blatant violation of the Constitution. “They talk of supremacy of the Constitution, but this appears to be a mere lip service,” she remarked. She said the post of ECP members lying vacant for six weeks should be immediately filled.

PML-N MNA Murtaza Javed Abbasi, while talking to reporters, also criticised the government for its failure to meet the constitutional requirement. He said the government kept on sleeping for 45 days and convened the meeting of the parliamentary committee on the last day only to abruptly cancel it.

He said the government announced convening of the meeting on Monday late night without consulting the opposition, pointing out that each party has to consult its leadership before important meetings.

He said the prime minister should have sent lists of proposed names for the position to the parliamentary committee after meeting the constitutional requirement of consulting the opposition leader. He said the opposition would have lodged a strong protest against violation of the Constitution had the meeting convened in haste not been postponed. He said the prime minister and his government had no respect for the Constitution.

Under Articles 213 and 218 of the Constitution, the prime minister in consultation with the opposition leader forwards three names for the appointment of a CEC or commission member to a parliamentary committee for confirmation of one name.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2019