Islamabad:
On Sunday, the Secretariat of the National Assembly said that the appointment of the chief election commissioner (CEC) and two members of the Pakistan Electoral Commission (ECP) took place in full compliance with constitutional requirements and parliamentary procedures.
In response to recent media reports, the secretariat confirmed that the president of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had officially responded to a letter from the opposition chief Omar Ayub concerning appointments.
“According to the spokesman for the National Assembly, constitutional and legal procedures for the training of the parliamentary committee are followed in the letter and the spirit. It was specified that the first stage of this process is a mutual consultation between the Prime Minister and the head of the opposition,” the press release said.
According to the spokesperson for the National Assembly, the president, in his response, described the constitutional and legal framework governing the training of the parliamentary committee responsible for appointments.
He reminded the chief of the opposition that the first stage of the whole process, as mandated by the Constitution, was the mutual consultation between the Prime Minister and the head of the opposition.
The president also referred to a letter dated May 16, 2025, sent by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the Opposition Head, in which the Prime Minister launched the consultation process for appointments.
The spokesperson added that in the event that the PM and the opposition chief do not reach a consensus on the names of the members of the CEC or the ECP, the case will be returned to the speaker by virtue of article 213 (2A) of the Constitution.
