ISLAMABAD, DEC 4 (DNA) -The deadlock between the treasury and opposition benches over the appointment of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) officials persisted on Wednesday, with the parliamentary committee tasked with deciding the matter concluding its meeting without a result.
According to sources present in the meeting, the opposition today demanded that the government share its nominees for the chief election commissioner’s (CEC) position before talks can proceed.
The sources said the opposition fears that the government may only appoint members to the two vacant seats for Sindh and Balochistan while keeping the CEC’s chair empty.
They explained that if only the positions of the four members of the ECP are filled, the senior-most from among them may be nominated by the government as acting CEC instead of a regular appointment made in consultation with the opposition.
Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari, who spoke after the meeting, insisted that “consensus was developing” on the appointments.
Mazari, who is chairing the committee, described today’s meeting as “very good” and the talks as “positive”. She said the opposition and government are in agreement that the panel propose the names of the CEC and members together.
The minister said a meeting will now be called next week to reach an agreement on names for the three posts.
