ISLAMABAD(National Times)- The government on Tuesday formally approached the opp\u00ado\u00ads\u00adition to seek its representation on the proposed Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Refo\u00adrms (PCER). How\u00adever, the opposition termed the formation of the committee a \u201cfutile exercise\u201d unless its long-standing demands were met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The committee is being formed to make the electoral process fair, transparent and acceptable to all stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry contacted PTI chief whip in the National Assembly Aamir Dogar, asking him to submit the names of opposition lawmakers for the committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When contacted, Mr Dogar confirmed that the minister had telephoned him to seek nominations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the opposition would hold a meeting to discuss the invitation and the decision would be ann\u00ado\u00adunced by National Asse\u00admbly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Questioning how the opposition could join the committee under the prevailing circumstances, Mr Dogar referred to the imposition of emergency and governor\u2019s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the alleged detention of the provincial chief minister and the arrest of more than 10 PTI leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also alleged that the PTI\u2019s mandate had been stolen in the last general elections. \u201cHow can the government expect the opposition to sit with it on the committee under these circumstances?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Dogar also expressed reservations over the proposed composition of the committee and demanded equal representation for the government and opposition. Meanwhile, PTI\u2019s interim Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan told reporters that the opposition would not oppose the committee if the dialogue was conducted sincerely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), a major ally of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has already approached opposition leaders Mehmood Khan Achakzai in the National Assembly and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas in the Senate, inviting them to join the proposed committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Mr Chaudhry said the committee was an initiative of National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, not the PPP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said that if the opposition agreed to join, it would have to submit the names of its representatives to the speaker. Explaining the formula for representation, the minister said one committee seat would be allocated for every 16 members of the National Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Monday, Mr Chaudhry contacted the ruling coalition\u2019s allies and wrote separate letters to the PPP and MQM-P chief whips in the National Assembly, Ijaz Jakhrani and Aminul Haq, respectively, seeking nominations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the proposed formula, the PML-N would have nine members, the PPP five and the MQM-P one, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The minister said smaller parties allied with the ruling coalition did not qualify for representation under the agreed criteria. The PML-N had therefore decided to allocate one seat each to its smaller allies, including the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z), from its quota of nine seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He urged the opposition to join the committee, saying the initiative could also pave the way for consultations on other important national issues, including the long-delayed appointment of a new chief election commissioner (CEC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CEC appointment
Meanwhile, PPP leader Naveed Qamar blamed the opposition for the delay in appointing a new CEC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking to DawnNewsTV\u2019s Nadir Guramani, he said the appointment of a new CEC would benefit the opposition, which had repeatedly questioned the role of incumbent CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said that under the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the incumbent CEC would continue to serve despite the expiry of his term until a successor was appointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have also expressed displeasure to opposition leader Mehmood Achakzai for not meeting the prime minister under a constitutional requirement to hold consultations on the appointment of a new chief election commissioner. The opposition leader should not say that he cannot sit with the PM here or there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think the ball is now in the opposition\u2019s court as it has to remove all hurdles coming in the process of appointment of a new chief election commissioner,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD(National Times)- The government on Tuesday formally approached the opp\u00ado\u00ads\u00adition to seek its representation on the proposed Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Refo\u00adrms (PCER). How\u00adever, the opposition termed the formation of the committee a \u201cfutile exercise\u201d unless its long-standing demands were met. The committee is being formed to make the electoral process fair, transparent and acceptable […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-135845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n