New CEC, two members of ECP: Achakzai urges PM again to start process for appointment

ISLAMABAD: Opposition Leader in National Assembly Mehmood Khan Achakzai on Monday renewed his call for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to initiate the process for appointing a new chief election commissioner and two members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The renewed call from the opposition leader comes amid the prime minister’s continued reluctance to initiate the process, more than 17 months after the terms of Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and two provincial members of the commission from Sindh and Balochistan expired.

In a letter to Sharif, Achakzai described the appointments as a “critical constitutional duty” and called for the three positions to be filled immediately, saying the delay risked undermining the ECP’s “operational continuity, independence and credibility”.

Achakzai cited Articles 213(2A) and 218(2)(b) of the Constitution, which require the prime minister to consult the opposition leader in NA before forwarding nominations for CEC and two provincial members of the commission to a parliamentary committee for consideration.

He also referred to a meeting of the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Aain-e-Pakistan, an alliance of opposition parties, held on Monday.

The meeting expressed “astonishment and concern” over the continued tenure of the three officials despite the expiry of their constitutional terms.

The alliance also criticised the government for failing to initiate the process for appointing their successors and called on Sharif to meet Achakzai and begin the process without further delay.

The terms of CEC Raja and the two provincial members expired on Jan 26, 2025. Under Article 215(4), appointments are to be made within 45 days after the posts fall vacant, setting March 12, 2025, as the deadline for completing the process.

The constitutional deadline, however, did not result in a change at the ECP. A proviso added to Article 215(1) through the controversial 26th Constitutional Amendment allows the CEC and commission members to remain in office until their successors are appointed.

The three officials have consequently continued to perform their duties despite the expiry of their original five-year terms more than a year ago.

The government had previously attributed part of the delay to the absence of an officially notified opposition leader in NA, whose consultation with the prime minister is required under the Constitution.

That obstacle was removed on January 16, 2026, when jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supremoImran Khan handpicked Achakzai, despite his not being a member of the party, for the top slot of the opposition leader.

Soon after his appointment, Achakzai wrote to the prime minister seeking the appointment of a new CEC and two provincial members. Several letters later, there is still no movement.

The prime minister has remained conspicuously silent, allowing officials whose terms expired more than a year ago to continue in office while the constitutional process for their replacement remains stalled.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026