National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has declined a request from Opposition Leader Omar Ayub to immediately form a parliamentary committee to appoint a new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) members.
In a letter responding to Ayub’s request, Speaker Sadiq explained that the formation of such a committee cannot occur until Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Opposition Leader complete their mandated consultation process. Ayub had formally requested the committee’s formation on Thursday, proposing a slate of six opposition members, including Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Asad Qaiser, Hamid Raza, and Latif Khosa from the National Assembly, and Senators Shibli Faraz and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas from the Senate.
Prime Minister Sharif had initiated the consultation process by inviting Ayub to discuss potential appointments in a letter dated May 16th. Sadiq clarified in his response to Ayub that the constitutional process requires the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader to first attempt to reach an agreement on candidates. Only after they submit their proposed names, can the committee be considered.
The Speaker’s letter further outlined that if the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader fail to agree, the matter would be referred to the Speaker, who would then proceed with forming a parliamentary committee. Following a formal request from the Prime Minister, the Speaker will invite parliamentary leaders to submit nominations for the committee, with membership proportional to each party’s representation in the National Assembly.
The need for new appointments arises as the five-year term of CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja, along with ECP members Nisar Ahmad Durrani (Sindh) and Shah Muhammad Jatoi (Balochistan), expired on January 26th.
The constitutional procedure, as outlined in Article 213, requires the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader to initially attempt to agree on three names to send to the President. If they cannot reach a consensus, each will submit their own list of nominees to a 12-member parliamentary committee, equally representing the government and opposition. This committee would then select one name from the combined lists for the President’s approval.
According to Article 217, upon the CEC’s departure, the senior-most Election Commission member assumes the responsibilities of the office. The terms of the other two ECP members, Babar Hassan Bharwana (Punjab) and Justice (retd) Ikramullah Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), will expire in 2027.
However, existing political divisions have hindered previous contact between the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader to discuss potential candidates. The PTI, led by Ayub and Senator Shibli Faraz, has already filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court challenging the delay in appointing a new CEC. The petition names the federal government, the Senate chairman, the National Assembly speaker, and the ECP as respondents.
