In a significant breakthrough, political parties on Wednesday reached an agreement on the formation of the Election Commission, marking what has been described as a "historic turning point" in the ongoing dialogue process.
"This was an extremely fruitful discussion and a historic moment in our journey toward national consensus," said Ali Riaz, vice-president of the National Consensus Commission, following the 18th meeting of the second phase of talks held at the Foreign Service Academy.
Wednesday's discussions focused on appointments to several key constitutional and statutory bodies under the constitution, including the Election Commission, the Public Service Commission, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Ombudsman.
According to Ali Riaz, consensus was reached on amending Article 118 of the constitution to create a structured process for appointing members of the Election Commission.
The new proposal recommends the formation of a search committee, led by the speaker of parliament, to nominate the Chief Election Commissioner and other election commissioners.
The proposed five-member search committee will include: the speaker of parliament, the deputy speaker (from the opposition), the prime minister, the leader of the opposition, and a judge of the Appellate Division nominated by the chief justice.
This committee will begin its work at least 90 days prior to the expiration of the existing commission's term.
All procedures, including criteria, public calls for applications, and vetting mechanisms, will be codified in a new law passed by Parliament.
The search committee will scrutinise the background of candidates and, through consensus, recommend one person for the position of Chief Election Commissioner and one for each of the Commissioner posts.
The president will appoint them for a five-year term.
The Secretariat of Parliament, under the direction of the speaker, will provide institutional support to the search committee.
While clauses 2, 4, 5(a), and 6 of the existing Article 118 will remain unchanged, political parties agreed to add a new provision to sub-clause 5.
This new part will ensure the Election Commission remains accountable to the National Parliament through a legal framework and a code of conduct.
Ali Riaz said that this agreement required major compromises from various political parties.
"This consensus, achieved through meaningful concessions by multiple parties, paves the way for the establishment of a truly independent and effective election commission. We extend our sincere thanks to all political parties for this responsible position."
He expressed optimism that the full National Charter could be finalised within July.
"We will continue our efforts with the hope that we can soon arrive at a complete national charter based on broad consensus," he added.
