ISLAMABAD - Finance Minister Ishaq Dar yesterday told the Senate that the government was forwarding 12 names to the parliamentary committee in next 24 hours for the appointment of four members of the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who was elected chairman of the parliamentary committee on the appointment of ECP members in its maiden meeting, told the upper house the government wanted to complete the process of the appointments at the earliest.

“Though we have 45 days to complete this appointment process, ECP cannot perform its duties except its administrative powers owing to retirement of all the four members while the government wants to complete the process at the earliest,” Dar said.

According to articles 213 and 218 of the Constitution, the prime minister, in consultation with the leader of opposition in the National Assembly would forward three names for appointment against every vacant post of the ECP to a parliamentary committee for its confirmation of any one name. In case the PM and the leader of opposition fail to have consensus, they will forward separate lists to the committee for consideration and confirmation of any name. The finance minister said had the 22nd Constitution Amendment been passed on May 19, the government would have initiated the process of appointment of ECP members the same day. But we could not do so on that day due to the shortage of two-thirds members in the Senate.

He also said the government wanted to bring electoral reforms package in the parliament at the earliest and all election rules and laws were being consolidated in this connection. About the other day’s walkout of the opposition against his continued absence during the budget debate, Dar made it clear that impression was wrong that he had not given priority to the house, adding he could not ensure his presence during to his busy schedule during the budget days.

Following the remarks of Ishaq Dar, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani said the government could initiate the appointment process of ECP members process earlier as the Senate had passed the 22nd Constitutional Amendment Bill on June 2 and it was transmitted to the President the same day for his final assent, but the President took seven days to sign it. He also urged the government to bring electoral reforms package bill in the form of a constitutional amendment before the parliament and see the relevant rules for this purpose.

Separately, the house unanimously passed a motion to convert the house into a committee of the whole to prepare policy guidelines for the government in the light of emerging regional realities and the role of the US. The chair earlier had said the government needed new terms of engagement for the US following the latter’s refusal to give F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan and May 21 the drone strike that killed Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in Balochistan.

The opposition benches strongly reacted when the government withdrew a bill to amend the Fiscal Responsibility and Debt Limitation Act, 2005. Leader of Opposition Aitzaz Ahsan pointed out that the government had earlier assured the Senate Finance Committee that the bill would not be passed as part of the Finance Bill 2016. He said it was not a money bill and should be separately passed by the Senate. The opposition had to face embarrassment in the house when the government succeeded in getting the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Bill, 2016, passed from the house with a margin of one vote despite its majority in the house.

Senator Noman Wazir Khattak, on a point of public concern, raised the issue of the substandard construction work at the New Islamabad Airport and said the minimum distance required between the two runways was not followed that made one of the strips of the airport dysfunctional. PML-N lawmaker Saud Majeed also said the design of the airport was faulty, so the issue should be probed. His party colleague Salahuddin Tirmizi said a blacklist consultant had been hired for the work during the military regime. The chair referred the matter to the committee.

PML-N Senator Nuzhat Sadiq gave good news to the house saying the elephant named ‘Kaavan’, chained at the Islamabad Zoo, had been unchained after the issue was raised in the house earlier. She said fodder was being supplied to Kaavan and a sunshade had also been installed for it while arrangements were being made to bring a female mate for it. The chair showed his pleasure and said he had been told that it would not be appropriate to being a female mate for the animal at the moment and suggested the elephant should be transported to its native country, Sri Lanka.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed condemned the incident of forced conversion of a Kalash girl into Islam. “There is no difference between us and Donald Trump if we get involved in such activities,” he said, adding Islam had no room for such actions.