ISLAMABAD - Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Khan Swati Saturday said the appointment of members of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had been made as per the Constitution. Khalid Siddiqui and Munir Ahmed Khan were appointed ECP members for Sindh and Balohistan respectively after consultations with the authorities concerned, he said in a video message.

The minister said President Dr Arif Alvi appointed two members on August 22 to avoid further delay in the wake of deadlock between the government and the opposition.  He said first no consensus was reached between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. Then the matter was taken up by the parliamentary committee as per the Constitution, which after holding several meeting could not make any breakthrough. According to Article 215 of the Constitution, he said the government could not leave any constitutional institution inactive.  The local body elections were about to be held in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, whereas the ECP was incomplete. Azam Swati said the government had referred the matter to the office of National Assembly Speaker and the Ministry of Law for their legal opinion.  President Arif Alvi decided the matter as a neutral empire while exercising his constitutional powers, he added. He said the whole lawyer community had welcomed the appointment Khalid Mehmood Siddiqui and Munir Ahmed Khan Kakar as ECP members.