The Supreme Court increased the pressure on the government yesterday on the issue of appointment of a permanent chief election commissioner (CEC), but the latter appeared to be a bit clueless, though it succeeded in getting another day’s grace.
“We are hopeful that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khurshid Ahmed Shah who are meeting today (Monday) will reach a consensus on a name for the post of CEC,” Attorney General Salman Aslam Butt informed a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk.
On Nov 24, the bench had warned the government that the court would withdraw on Dec 5 its judge Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, who is working as acting CEC, if the office was not filled by Monday. The court had also indicated that it would consider issuing contempt notices to the prime minister and the leader of opposition for violating its directives.
On Monday, the attorney general seemed non-committal when the court asked him to come up with a concrete assurance that the meeting would produce positive results.
“I can only assure the court about this after seeking instructions from the government,” he said, adding that the prime minister was busy in some official business in Karachi but would return to Islamabad for the meeting.
But the court’s apprehensions later proved to be correct as nothing positive came out of the 60-minute meeting between the two constitutional consultees at the Prime Minister’s Office.
“We have not yet finalized any name for the CEC office,” the leader of opposition told reporters after his talks with the prime minister. He also declined to divulge the names being considered for the post.
During the hearing, the attorney general requested the court to adjourn further proceedings for a day so that he could place before it whatever had transpired during the meeting.
This is the fifth (consecutive) extension in the deadline granted to the government.
