KARACHI: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday telephoned Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif and the two spoke about appointments to the Election Commission of Pakistan’s vacant posts, the PML-N said.
Two seats of the ECP — one each from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — fell vacant due to the members retiring on July 26.
According to the PML-N, the two leaders discussed the ECP appointments and agreed that they will proceed forward together on the matter with consultations.
Meanwhile, the PPP, which also issued a statement following the meeting, said that the two, besides the appointment of the ECP members, also discussed the overall political situation in the country.
The contact between the two Opposition leaders comes amid a rift in the Opposition’s Pakistan Democratic Movement, an alliance that the PPP quit in April this year, along with another member, the Awami National Party (ANP).
While Shahbaz has indicated a desire to see both parties come back into the PDM fold, PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has moved from a similar sentiment to recently declare PPP as “back-stabbers”.
The PPP chairman, in response, said “we trusted many friends but all of them cheated us”.
Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote a letter to Shahbaz last week over the matter of ECP appointments, in accordance with Articles 213 and 218 of the Constitution, so these vacancies may be filled in consultation with the Opposition.
According to the premier’s letter, two members of the ECP from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa retired on July 26 and so two vacancies in the ECP currently exist.
The prime minister has nominated three names each for the two vacant ECP seats in Punjab and KP.
For Punjab, the prime minister has nominated Ahsan Mehboob — a retired BS-22 officer from the Police Service, Raja Aamir Khan — an advocate at Supreme Court of Pakistan, and Syed Pervaiz Abbas — a retired BS-22 officer from Pakistan Administrative Service.
For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PM recommended retired justice Ikramullah Khan, Faridullah Khan — a retired BS-22 officer from Pakistan Administrative Service, and Muzammil Khan an advocate at Pakistan Supreme Court.
ECP REJECTS PTI PLEA SEEKING ARMY DEPLOYMENT DURING CANTONMENT BOARD ELECTIONS: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has rejected plea of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for deployment of Pakistan Army during upcoming elections of Cantonment Board.
Election Commission has said that security arrangement have been finalized and Army is not required in presence of Police, Rangers and FC.
A letter written by PTI chief organizer Senator Saifullah Khan Niazi to the Election Commission said that sub-organizations from across the country are updating with the details of the ongoing election campaign for the Cantonment Board elections. Past experience has shown that elections held without assigning security to the military are subject to suspicion.
He said that the absence of electronic voting machines paved the way for rigging, adding that local political players could resort to rigging in elections ranging from fake votes to tempering with results. Our well-thought-out view is that the military should be assisted in holding free and fair elections.
