The Supreme Court Monday asked federal government to fill the vacant slot of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) by December 02 (today). Resuming the hearing of a case on the appointment of a permanent CEC a three-member bench, led by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk and comprising Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Mushir Alam, accepted the plea of government and gave it one day to resolve the matter.
Appearing before the bench, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Salman Aslam Butt apprised the court that Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Shah has reached Pakistan, saying Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Opposition Leader are seriously conducting consultative sessions in this regard. Seeking time till December 05, the AGP informed the bench that to appoint a permanent head of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Syed Khurshid Shah will meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday (yesterday) evening to discuss the name for the slot.
However, the bench said that the court is ready to grant time in the present case subject to a firm assurance of the AGP that the slot would be filled before December 05. Butt submitted that in his personal capacity, he cannot say something at the moment; to which the bench granted him half an hour to consult with the government and hold out a formal assurance to the court that the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader would succeed in finalising a name for the office of CEC during their meeting.
Earlier, the AGP told the court that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is busy in Karachi in an important meeting; he sought one day to inform the court about government's decision. Accepting the AGP's plea, the court adjourned the hearing of case till December 02 (today).
Comments
Comments are closed.