Get the latest news and updates from Dawn
In a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai on Monday urged the appointment of a new chief election commissioner of the Election Commission of Pakistan, as well as two members representing Sindh and Balochistan.
In the letter, dated August 10 and available with Dawn, Achakzai, who heads the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) and is chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, drew the prime minister’s attention to a “critical constitutional duty” and stated that the statutory tenure of the CEC and the members representing Sindh and Balochistan had ended on January 26, 2025.
To that effect, he urged the “immediate filling” of the offices, terming it “essential for maintaining the operational continuity, independence, and credibility of the commission”.
In his letter, Achakzai cited two provisions of the Constitution, including Article 213(2A), which he said “mandates that the prime minister shall, in consultation with the leader of the opposition in the NA, forward three names for the appointment of the CEC to a Parliamentary Committee for hearing and confirmation”.
