- NA Opposition Leader Achakzai pens letter to PM Shehbaz.
- Achakzai draws PM’s attention composition of ECP.
- Says statutory tenure of CEC completed on Jan 26, 2025.
National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to appoint a new chief election commissioner and two members of the Election Commission of Pakistan representing Sindh and Balochistan.
In a letter to the premier on August 10, Achakzai, who is also the head of the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) and chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, drew the prime minister’s “urgent attention” to the critical constitutional duty regarding the composition of the electoral watchdog.
He maintained that the statutory tenure of the CEC as well as the members of the ECP representing the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan stood completed on January 26 2025.
“Ensuring the immediate filling of these key constitutional offices is essential for maintaining the operational continuity, independence, and credibility of the commission,” he added.
In his letter, the opposition leader cited two provisions of the Constitution, including Article 213(2A), which he said “mandates that the prime minister shall, in consultation with the leader of the opposition in the NA, forward three names for the appointment of the CEC to a Parliamentary Committee for hearing and confirmation”.
“Article 218(2)(b): Mandates that the appointment of the members of the election commission from each province shall follow the exact same procedural requirement of consultation between the prime minister and the leader of the opposition under Article 213,” he added.
He also urged the prime minister to meet with him to finalise the names for the key posts.
It is pertinent to mention here that PM Shehbaz had invited then National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub for a meeting regarding consultations over the appointment of a CEC in June last year.
The NA, however, removed Ayub and other PTI-backed leaders from prominent parliamentary positions following their disqualification by the ECP in the May 9 cases in August last year.
Hence, the process to fill the key posts in the ECP has been delayed.
