ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formally invited the opposition leader for consultations regarding the appointment of the next Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
This invitation comes months after the term of the current CEC, Sikandar Sultan Raja, expired in January 2025. The government had failed to meet the constitutional deadline of March 12 for the appointment of a new CEC and two members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The constitutional framework, under the 26th Amendment, allows the incumbent CEC and members to remain in office until their successors are appointed. However, according to Article 215(4) of the Constitution, the new CEC and members must be appointed within 45 days, a deadline which was missed.
In a letter dated May 16, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, noting that Raja’s term had ended on January 27.
The letter referenced clauses from the Constitution, including Article 213 and Article 218, which require that three candidates be nominated for the CEC position and two members representing Sindh and Balochistan. These names are to be forwarded to a Parliamentary Committee for final confirmation.
The letter, seen by Dawn.com, invited Ayub to meet and discuss the potential candidates for the CEC and the two ECP members from Sindh and Balochistan. However, no specific date for the consultation was provided, and no names of prospective candidates for the CEC role were disclosed.
In a separate matter, the hearing on the disqualification reference against Ayub was adjourned until July 1. The adjournment followed Ayub’s request for time to attend the upcoming federal budget session, where he is a member of the Finance Committee.
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Sadiq had earlier forwarded a reference to the ECP seeking Ayub’s disqualification, based on a petition from former MNA Babar Nawaz, who had lost to Ayub in the 2024 general elections.
Ayub, who had requested time to appoint counsel, stated, “The budget session will start soon, and I am a member of the Finance Committee. The budget meeting will be held for two weeks.” Sindh Election Commission member Nisar Durrani noted that there is a 90-day time limit to act on the speaker’s reference, leading to the adjournment until July 1.
The opposition leader also faced accusations of rigging in the 2024 elections, with a separate case being filed by Babar Nawaz. Ayub’s lawyer requested more time to submit a response, and the commission adjourned the hearing until June 24.
Following the hearing, Ayub criticized the National Assembly for sending the disqualification reference without consulting him.
“The speaker did not consult me about this reference,” he said, recalling that he had defeated his opponent in the 2018 elections by 40,000 votes. “He previously approached the Abbottabad High Court, but the case was dismissed,” Ayub added.
