Deadlock continues between govt, opposition over Babar Yaqoob Fateh's CEC candidacy.

ISLAMABAD -- The federal government and the opposition parties have reached an impasse over the appointment of the next chief of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), media reported on Monday.

The government is adamant over getting the opposition parties to agree to the name of incumbent ECP Secretary Capt (R) Babar Yaqoob Fateh, as the next chief election commissioner, a senior opposition leader told the English daily.

However, at least two opposition parties are not willing to accept the name of the ECP secretary since they have publicly alleged that high-ranking ECP officials were complicit in the alleged rigging of the 2018 general election.

'We will be taunted and tantalised by our detractors about the collapse of our well-considered stand about the polls," the senior opposition leader said on condition of anonymity.

A parliamentary affairs committee has been tasked with finalising potential names for the new chief of the ECP and forwarding them to Prime Minister Imran Khan for approval, pending discussions with the opposition.

Under the Constitution, consultations between the prime minister and the opposition leader are necessary for the appointment of the election commissioner. If the two cannot agree on a name, a parliamentary committee takes over the matter.

According to the report published in The News, opposition members have told the parliamentary panel overseeing the appointment that the government should either fill the CEC position by choosing one of the suggested nominees of the opposition, or let the opposition select one name from the CEC nominees suggested by the government.

Attempts are also being made in the...