ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Pervez Rashid said the government has proposed names for the vacant posts of four members of the ECP and is now awaiting a response from the opposition leader.
The senator said that during a meeting with National Assembly Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Shah on June 23, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar handed over a list of 12 names, three each for an ECP post from a province, to Shah.
Pervez Rashid, who also heads the parliamentary committee on appointment of ECP members, said that the panel would meet once the response from the opposition was received.
The minister’s remarks came as an indirect rejection of allegations that the government was deliberately delaying appointment of ECP members to block hearing of disqualification references filed against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Four ECP members retired on June 12 and the law requires appointment of their successors within 45 days of their retirement. July 27 is the constitutional deadline for the appointment of new ECP members.
When contacted, Shah said that consultation with opposition parties on the names for the posts of ECP members would take place soon after Eidul Fitr. He expressed the hope that the exercise would be completed within the stipulated timeframe.
