THERE is movement, at last. The Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, on Friday acknowledged that consultations have begun between his office and the prime minister’s to set a meeting date for discussions on the appointment of the next chief election commissioner. It was reported a day earlier that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had reached out to the opposition leader for the mandatory consultation, stalled inordinately by the political deadlock between the government and the opposition. A month ago, the opposition leader had urged the government to replace the CEC and the two members of the Election Commission representing Sindh and Balochistan, whose terms expired in January 2025 — some 20 months ago. The three stayed on because of a proviso in the 26th Amendment, which had been passed merely three months before they were due to depart. The CEC has been the subject of sustained criticism since the February 2024 general election, with the ECP’s decisions in the lead-up to, during and after that election blamed for the severe political and legal crises that followed.

Now is as good a time as any to move on from that period and make a fresh start. Change must begin with restoring some credibility to the ECP, and that depends in large part on the appointment of a new chief who is acceptable to both the government and the opposition, and then giving the commission the space it needs to act fairly and in consonance with the requirements laid down in the Constitution. It is hoped that the government is not merely using the appointment as a de-escalation measure, considering that the invitation was extended only days before the PTI’s planned long march on Islamabad this month. The opposition leader is a stalwart of Pakistani politics and widely seen as a reasonable interlocutor. The government should have engaged him in the process much earlier. Now that it has, it must complete the process in good faith. Consultation is only the first step: three names must still clear a parliamentary committee — failure to agree would leave each side submitting rival lists. Together, the prime minister and the opposition leader can arrive at a name that can be trusted to remain independent and withstand pressures from any quarter. The sooner this matter is concluded, the better.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2026