ISLAMABAD:The National Assembly Secretariat on Sunday clarified that the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) was being carried out in full compliance with constitutional requirements and parliamentary procedures.
In response to recent media reports, the secretariat confirmed that National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has formally responded to a letter from Opposition Leader Omar Ayub regarding the appointments.
“According to the spokesperson of the National Assembly, the constitutional and legal procedures for the formation of the parliamentary committee are being followed in letter and spirit. It was clarified that the first step in this process is mutual consultation between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition,” the statement clarified.
According to the spokesperson for the National Assembly, the speaker, in his reply, outlined the constitutional and legal framework governing the formation of the parliamentary committee responsible for the appointments.
He reminded the opposition leader that the first step in the entire process, as mandated by the Constitution, was mutual consultation between the prime minister and the leader of the opposition.
The speaker also referred to a letter dated May 16, 2025, sent by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the opposition leader, in which the premier had initiated the consultative process for the nominations.
The spokesperson added that in the event that the PM and the opposition leader fail to reach a consensus on the names for the CEC or ECP members, the matter shall be referred to the speaker under Article 213(2A) of the Constitution.
The country’s top economic experts and businessmen have asked the government to bring unregistered and untaxed sectors into the tax net instead of burdening the compliant sector.
Former minister for finance Dr Miftah Ismail said that Pakistani top businessmen are exceptions and could earn profits despite a difficult environment, but the remaining 240 million population was unable to increase their purchasing power, so the Shehbaz Sharif government failed to grab the opportunity to undertake required but crucial reforms.
The country’s top businessmen and economic experts on Sunday expressed mixed opinions about the recently unveiled Federal Budget 2025-26 during the Geo News special transmission “Pakistan Kay Liye Kar Dalo” held to discuss positive and negative aspects of the next year’s fiscal strategy.
