A parliamentary committee, consisting of both treasury and opposition members, discussed the appointment of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) members from Sindh and Balochistan on Wednesday.
The two sides exchanged names for the appointment of two ECP members in the meeting, chaired by Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari.
The government and opposition proposed six names to fill the two vacancies in the ECP. The committee will meet again on June 19 to further deliberate over the matter.
The opposition recommended names of senior lawyer Khalid Javed, Justice (r) Abdul Rasul Memon and Justice (r) Noorul Haq Qureshi for the slot of ECP Sindh member.
The opposition leader recommended Salahuddin Mengal, Shah Muhammad Jatoi and Abdul Rauf Atta for the ECP member from Balochistan.
The government proposed three names for the slot of ECP member from Balochistan: Muneer Kakar, Amanullah Baloch and Mir Naveed Baloch.
For the slot of ECP Sindh member, the government proposed the names of Khalid Mehmood Siddiqui, Justice (r) Farrukh Zia Shaikh and Iqbal Mehmood. The parliamentary panel will shortlist names in its next meeting.
Earlier on Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif had sent revised names to Prime Minister Imran Khan for appointing ECP members.
The ECP comprises a chief election commissioner (CEC) and four members – one from each province.
According to Article-215 (4) of the Constitution, a vacancy in the office of the commissioner or a member shall be filled within 45 days.
The ECP posts fell vacant after its members from Sindh and Balochistan retired on January 26.
Under Articles-213 and 218, the prime minister, in discussion with the opposition leader, forwards three names for the appointment of a CEC or a member to a parliamentary committee for confirmation.
In case of lack of consensus between the PM and the opposition leader, the law allows the two to forward separate lists to the parliamentary committee.
