ISLAMABAD, March 15: President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday appointed Justice (retd) Qazi Mohammad Farooq as the Chief Election Commissioner for a three-year term.

Secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Kunwar Dilshad Mehmood said that Qazi Mohammad Farooq had retired as a Supreme Court judge in 2004.

Mr Farooq replaces Justice Abdul Hamid Dogar, who performed duties as acting CEC for more than a year. Opposition parties had also been calling for the appointment of a full-time CEC.

Mr Dilshad said that before his appointment to the Supreme Court, Justic Farooq had worked as the chief justice of the Peshawar High Court. He said the appointment had been notified.