Pakistan prepares meeting between PM Sharif and opposition leader — Dawn
Consultations have begun in Pakistan between the offices of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and National Assembly opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai on arranging their meeting. They are being held following the head of government's letter regarding the appointment of a new chief election commissioner, Dawn reports.
Appointment of the election commissioner
A day earlier, the publication, citing an official source, reported that Sharif had decided to begin a dialogue between the authorities and the opposition by inviting Achakzai to mandatory consultations on a new chief election commissioner.
In August, Achakzai called on the prime minister in a letter to appoint a new chief election commissioner, as well as two members of the Election Commission representing Sindh and Balochistan.
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The five-year term of the incumbent chief election commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and two commission members ended on January 26, 2025. Under Article 215(4) of the Constitution, new appointments were to be made within 45 days, that is, by March 12, 2025. At the same time, a provision introduced by the 26th constitutional amendment to Article 215(1) allows them to remain in office until successors are appointed.
Opposition plans
In a post on social network X, Achakzai said that due to the deteriorating situation in the country, it had been decided to convene an all-party conference as soon as possible. A representative of the Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan alliance said opposition leaders plan to appeal to all political parties to develop a joint approach to resolving the problems.
According to the TTAP representative, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, PTI Secretary General Barrister Salman Akram Raja, Asad Qaiser and other politicians attended a meeting chaired by Achakzai. They discussed a protest scheduled for September 27. The next TTAP meeting, which is expected to consider preparations for the conference, is scheduled for September 15.
