Panel on ECP appointments drops plan to amend rules.

Byline: Iftikhar A. Khan

ISLAMABAD -- The parliamentary committee on the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has dropped the plan to amend its rules.

According to a notice placed by the National Assembly's secretariat on its official website on Thursday, the panel's meeting scheduled for Dec 24 had amendment to the committee's rules on the agenda. The very next day, a revised agenda was released - this time excluding item number 2 - related to amendment of committee rules.

Though the original agenda did not specify the amendment, informed sources told Dawn that it was all about doing away with the requirement of a two-thirds majority to confirm the nomination for the CEC or a member of the commission.

Clause 2 of the parliamentary committee on the CEC appointment and members of the Election Commission Rules 2011 in its present form reads: 'The committee after considering the nomination for an actual or anticipated vacancy of the Chief Election Commissioner or a member of the Election Commission may hear and confirm any nomination by a two third majority of its total membership within fourteen days of the receipt of such nomination.'

The decision to amend the rule had been taken in view of the ongoing stalemate over the CEC appointment and members of the ECP from Sindh and Balochistan to pave the way for a decision on appointments with simple majority. The parliamentary committee has 12 members - six each from the government and the opposition.

Committee member Mushahidullah Khan while talking to Dawn had disclosed that the exact amendment the PTI was looking for had not been shared with the members of the panel belonging to the opposition and criticised non-transparency in proceedings.

Informed sources said the decision had to be reversed after the government realised that the amendment of the rules also required a two-thirds majority and thus it was not possible to get the proposed amendment approved unless at least two members of the bipartisan panel belonging to the opposition agreed to support it.

Section 10 of the rules reads: "The committee shall have power to amend any of the provisions of these rules with two third majority of the total membership of the committee."

The ECP became...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT