Islamabad:
On Sunday, the National Assembly Secretariat clarified that the appointment of the supreme election commissioner (CEC) and two members of the Election Commission in Pakistan (ECP) was carried out in full compliance with constitutional requirements and parliamentary procedures.
In response to recent media reports, the secretariat confirmed that the National Assembly’s speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has formally responded to a letter from opposition leader Omar Ayub about the appointments.
“According to spokesman for the National Assembly, the constitutional and legal procedures for the formation of the parliamentary committee in letter and spirit are followed. It was clarified that the first step in this process is mutual consultation between the prime minister and the opposition leader,” the statement clarified.
According to the National Assembly spokesman, the speaker in his answer outlined the constitutional and legal framework for the formation of the parliamentary committee responsible for the appointments.
He reminded the opposition leader that the first step in the whole process as required by the Constitution was mutual consultation between the prime minister and the opposition leader.
The speaker also referred to a letter dated May 16, 2025, sent by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the opposition leader, where the prime minister had initiated the consultative process for the nominations.
The spokesman added that in the event that PM and the opposition leader do not reach a consensus on the names of the CEC or ECP members, the case is referred to the speaker under Article 213 (2a) of the Constitution.
