ISLAMABAD – Why Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Mohammad Raza refusedoath to newly appointed members of ECP?
The Chief Election Commissioner, retired Justice Sardar Mohammad Razarefused to administer the oath to newly appointed members of the ElectionCommission of Pakistan on Friday.
A day earlier, President Arif Alvi had appointed Khalid Mahmood Siddiquiand Munir Ahmad Khan Kakar as ECP members from Sindh and Balochistan,respectively.
However, the commissioner formally informed the Ministry of ParliamentaryAffairs about his refusal while citing a violation of Article 213 and 214of the Constitution in the process of the two appointments.
Reacting to the decision, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, AzamKhan Swati said the government followed due process while making theappointments.
He elaborated that the government was mulling over the decision made byCEC, assuring that the process of appointment would be completed.
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‘Thoroughly reviewing the decision [of Chief Election Commissioner] as wellas its impacts,’ he said.
Despite multiple exchanges, the government and opposition were not able toend the deadlock over the appointment of ECP members after two of themretired this year.
The ECP members from Sindh and Balochistan — Abdul Ghaffar Soomro andretired Justice Shakeel Baloch — had retired in January and it wasmandatory that the positions be filled within 45 days.
