ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has nominated its members for a parliamentary committee to appoint a new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) members from Sindh and Balochistan, urging the government to initiate the process under Article 213(2B) of the Constitution.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, shared a letter dated June 2, 2025, addressed to NA Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, nominating opposition lawmakers for the committee. The PTI’s nominees include four MNAs—Asad Qaiser, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, and Sardar Latif Khosa—and two senators—Shibli Faraz and Allama Raja Nasir.
Ayub emphasized that the nominations followed due process and consultation. The development comes a day after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally invited Ayub for consultations on the appointments.
In his letter to the opposition leader, the PM noted that the terms of CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja and ECP members Nisar Ahmad Durrani (Sindh) and Shah Muhammad Jatoi (Balochistan) ended on January 26, 2025. However, they continue to serve under Article 215 until successors are appointed.
The Constitution requires the PM and the opposition leader to propose three consensus candidates for each vacant post. In case of disagreement, both leaders submit separate names to a 12-member parliamentary committee comprising equal representation from treasury and opposition benches. The committee then forwards one nominee per post to the president for approval.
Under Article 217, the senior-most ECP member assumes the role of acting CEC in the interim. The remaining two members—Babar Hassan Bharwana (Punjab) and Justice (retd) Ikramullah Khan (KP)—will serve until May 2027.
Despite the constitutional requirement, political deadlock had stalled the appointment process. PTI earlier filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court, with Ayub and Senate Opposition Leader Shibli Faraz challenging the government’s inaction.
The petition, naming the federal government, NA speaker, Senate chairman, and ECP as respondents, argued that the delay violates the Constitution and urged the court to direct the formation of the parliamentary committee and compel the PM to hold consultations with the opposition as mandated.
