ISLAMABAD, March 17 The government appointed on Tuesday Justice Hamid Mirza, a judge of the Supreme Court who had refused to take oath under the Provisional Constitution Order in 2007, as chief election commissioner with immediate effect.

The office of the CEC fell vacant after retirement of Justice Qazi Mohammad Farooque on completion of his three-year tenure on Monday.

Justice Hamid Mirza was appointed judge of the Sindh High Court on April 10, 1995, and was elevated to the Supreme Court on April 28, 2000. He was due to retire on Sept 13, 2005, but was appointed as an ad hoc judge of the court for one year and his tenure was extended by another year.

Justice Mirza was one of the two ad hoc judges who had refused to take oath under the PCO.

He was a member of the Supreme Court bench which declared the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry as unconstitutional and restored him in July 2007.

He was also member of a larger bench headed by Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry which reversed privatisation of the Pakistan Steel Mills.

The CEC under the Constitution is appointed by the president in his discretion for a period of three years and the National Assembly can extend the tenure by up to one year through a resolution.

The electoral reforms committee of the Election Commission has suggested a change in the procedure for appointment of the CEC, making it binding on the president to consult the prime minister and the leader of the opposition before making the appointment.

It has also recommended to increase the tenure of the CEC to four years.