Zubair Qureshi
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed a petition regarding appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two members from Sindh and Balochistan as the state counsel submitted that President Arif Aliv had appointed former bureaucrat Raja Sikandar Sultan as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two members from Sindh (Nasir Khan Durrani) and Balochistan (Shah Mohammad Jatoi).
Chief Justice of the IHC Athar Minallah upon the government’s reply dismissed the petition saying the needful is done.
The IHC had been giving the parliamentary committee entrusted to win consensus of the government and the opposition over the name of the CEC deadlines one after the other and the months long deadlock over the names ended Monday when the new CEC Raja Sikandar Sultan took oath of his office.
The federal government in its reply informed the high court that the government and the opposition had agreed over the names of the CEC and two members of the election commission.
Petitioner Mohsin Ranjha during the hearing said the credit went to the court for reposing trust in the parliament over these constitutional appointments.
“The credit goes to the people of Pakistan,” Chief Justice Minallah responded.
Parliament is supreme state institution and representatives of the people. A strong Parliament will make Pakistan strong,” the top judge remarked.
The appointment of Nasir Durrani and Shah Mohammad Jatoi as members of the Election Commission of Pakistan from Sindh and Balochistan respectively were also confirmed and notified by the ministry.
The appointments come in light of the November 2, 2019, order issued by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Earlier, President Alvi had appointed Khalid Mehmood Siddiqui as ECP member from Sindh and Munir Ahmed Kakar from Balochistan against the ECP vacancies.
The decision was challenged in the Islamabad High Court and suspended by the court as it was the prerogative of the Parliament not the president to make such appointments.
The court on January 15, had granted 10 more days to the government to finalize the ECP appointments.
The government and the opposition reached an agreement recently last Friday deciding the names for CEC and two members of the election commission.
