ISLAMABAD - While the PML-N government has failed to fill the vacant post of Chief Election Commissioner in one year, the leader of opposition Syed Khursheed Shah Tuesday asked the prime minister to immediately appoint a regular CEC in the country.
“Appointment of a regular CEC will be appreciated by parliamentarians and political parties alike,” said Syed Khursheed Shah in a letter to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for filling the vacant post.
He expressed the hope that the prime minister will initiate the process of the appointment of CEC on an immediate basis keeping in view the demands of the political parties.
The office of CEC had fallen vacant when Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G Ebrahim had resigned in July last year. Later, the government and opposition factions could not reach a consensus for the appointment of CEC due to some legal hitches. The opposition leader had reportedly accused the incumbent government of delaying the process by not taking special interest in it. Due to the impasse over the issue, the Supreme Court had set deadline, which was also expired on March 19.
The government paving the way to appoint Rana Bhagwandas on the post had got passed ‘The Federal Public Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2014’ in the Lower House with certain amendment. But, the matter could not be resolved even by this move.