The Supreme Court has announced the appointment of one of its senior judges, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar as Acting Chief Election Commissioner for 26 days from Thursday.
Chief Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui under Article 217 of the Constitution has made the appointment.
Justice Dogar will sit in the Election Commission during the absence abroad of Chief Election Commissioner, retired Chief Justice Irshad Hassan Khan.
President Pervez Musharraf approved his request for leave and permission to go abroad.
Former Chief Justice Irshad Hassan Khan will leave Pakistan on July 4 to attend a seminar on "Electoral Democracy: at Cambridge on July 8 and 9 and then proceed on 26 days leave that will end on August 4.
He is expected to rejoin his office from August 5 next.
Important questions concerning the electoral laws and preparations for two important by-elections are to take place during Justice Dogar's reign as Chief Election Commissioner.
The first application that may kick up a lot of dust is from the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians leader, Amin Fahim that questions the election of Shujaat Hussain as the Prime Minister.
Fahim alleges that Shujaat Hussain was a "bank loan defaulter" and hence not eligible for elections to the National Assembly or as Prime Minister.
The petition was filed soon after Shujaat Hussain had filed his papers for election as Leader of the House and thus the premier-ship of the country but no action could be taken because of the absence of the Chief Election Commissioner from the Federal Capital.
The second momentous event will be the by-election in National Assembly constituency 229 in Tharparker and National Assembly 59 in Attock-III.
The sitting members, Arbab Zakaullah, a brother of the Sindh Chief Minister, Arbab Abdur Rahim from Tharparker and Mrs. Eman Waseem, a niece of Prime Minister Shujaat Hussain from Attock-III resigned on Thursday morning.
They have made way for Finance Minister, Shaukat Aziz to contest from their constituencies for a place in the National Assembly to become eligible to seek election as next Prime Minister.
Shaukat Aziz will file his nomination papers as soon as Justice Dogar announces the schedule of elections for the by-elections. Under the Constitution, the Election Commission is required to organise polls with 60 days of a vacancy.
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