The parliamentary committee on the formation of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday unanimously approved the names of four retired high court judges, one from each province, as the commission’s members. The committee met at the Parliament House under Minister for Religious Affairs Khurshid Shah and recommended the names of Justice (r) Fazlur Rehman from Balochistan, Justice (r) Shahzad Akbar Khan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Justice (r) Roshan Essani from Sindh and Justice (r) Riaz Kayani from Punjab. Talking to reporter after the meeting, Shah said the proposed names would be forwarded to the prime minister for a formal notification.
According to the rules, the prime minister is bound to notify the names within 14 days. To a query, Shah said that incumbent chief election commissioner, Justice (r) Hamid Ali Mirza, would complete his tenure. The meeting was attended by Raja Zafarul Haq, Zahid Hamid, Tehmina Daultana, Ghias Ahmed Mela, Islamud Din Sheikh, Arif Aziz Sheikh, Abdul Ghafoor Haideri and Haji Adeel. After the passage of the 18th Amendment, it became mandatory for the government to complete the ECP. However, the government has failed to do so as yet. The 18th Amendment declares that the EC must have four members and a chairman to run its affairs.
The Supreme Court had also taken serious notice of the delay in ECP formation.
