Daily Times

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani will hold an important meeting with National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar today (Monday) to discuss matters pertaining to appointments of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) members.

According to details, the development came after Sanjrani received a letter from Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan regarding the issue.

Sources told that both the leaders will deliberate upon the strategies in the light of PM’s letter.

Earlier, PM Office had raised objections on the names recommended by opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif for the appointment of Chief Election Commissioner. The suggested names were Nasir Mehmood Khosa, Jalil Abbas Jilani and Akhlaq Ahmed Tarar.

Jaleel Abbas Jilani remained principal secretary of former premier Nawaz Sharif and worked as chief secretary Punjab under CM Shehbaz Sharif.

Nasir Mehmood Khosa is considered close to Sharif family and Akhlaq Tarar has also worked as federal secretary. Shehbaz Sharif maintained that PM Imran should have initiated this process of consultation a long time ago. I am starting this procedure to prevent the ECP from getting non-functional, the PML-N leader added.

The letter by PML-N president also comprised three names each from Sindh and Balochistan for their nominations as the ECP members. From Sindh, the opposition leader had recommended Nisar Durrani, Justice (retd) Abdul Rasul Memon and Aurangzeb Haq.

The names of Advocate Supreme Court Shah Muhammad Jatoi, former advocate general Muhammad Rauf Atta and Rahila Durrani were also proposed from Balochistan.

Meanwhile, meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on appointment of Chief Election Commissioner and Members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has been called on December 3 at 10.00 am in Parliament House.

The Parliamentary committee will consider nominations for appointment of Members of the ECP from Sindh and Balochistan forwarded by the Treasury and the Opposition, said a press release issued here on Sunday.

The Treasury and the Opposition forwarded their nominations for appointment of Members of the Election Commission of Pakistan to the Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser and the Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, who onward transmitted the same to the Parliamentary Committee for consideration.