- Committee is tasked with evaluating the shortcomings of the previous electoral process and making recommendations to hold free, fair and transparent elections in future
The Special Parliamentary Committee on Election Reforms elected Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar as its chairman on Wednesday.
Dar’s election as chairman comes as the 33-member bipartisan committee held its first meeting on Wednesday. The purpose of the first meeting was to elect the chairman, after which its members would formulate the terms of reference for the smooth functioning of the committee.
“(We) will try our best to run the committee in an impartial manner and will take recommendations for electoral reforms from all stakeholders,” said Dar.
Parliamentary sources said that the notification of his appointment has been issued by the National Assembly Secretariat.
The committee, constituted on July 25, was tasked to “evaluate the shortcomings of the previous electoral process and make recommendations to hold free, fair and transparent elections” in the future.
Meeting of the committee was attended by Raza Rabbani, Zahid Hamid, Naveed Qamar, Ishaq Dar, Mushahid Hussain Syed, Aftab Sherpao, Rafiq Rajwana, Shazia Marri, Shireen Mazari, Ijazul Haq, Shafqat Mehmood, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Anousha Rehman, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Abdul Hakeem Baloch and Talha Mehmood.
Dar is a key cabinet member of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government and is also related to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The committee includes members from all government and opposition parties have their representation in the Senate or the National Assembly.
The PTI has already nominated three members – Shafqat Mehmood, Dr Shireen Mazari and Dr Arif Alvi – for the electoral reforms committee.
PML-N members include Senator Ishaq Dar, Senator Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana, Zahid Hamid, Anusha Rehman Khan, Lt Gen (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Abdul Hakeem Baloch and Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the major opposition party in the National Assembly, nominated Syed Naveed Qamar, Shazia Marri, Senator Aitzaz Ahsan, Senator Mian Raza Rabbani and Senator Farooq Hamid Naek.
MQM has nominated Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Naeema Kishwar Khan and Dr Muhammad Farooq Sattar, while other members include Abdul Rahim Mandokhail from PKMAP, Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao from Qaumi Watan Party, Ejazul Haq from PML-Z, Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed from Awami Muslim League, Sahibzada Tariq Ullah from JI, Senator Haji Mohammad Adeel from ANP, Usman Khan Tarakai from Awami Jamhuri Ittehad Pakistan, Ghulam Murtaza Khan Jatoi of National People’s Party, Ghaus Bux Khan Mahar of PML-Functional, Syed Ghazi Ghulab Jamal from Independent members of the National Assembly, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed from PML, Senator Mir Israrullah Khan Zehri of BNP-A, Senator Hilalur Rehman from FATA and Senator Muhammad Talha Mehmood from JUI-F.
