ISLAMABAD: After their failure to reach a consensus on the names for members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (E CP) despite month-long consultations, the government and the opposition now want a parliamentary committee to make a final decision in `a few hours` time`.

Tall(ing to reporters outside the Parliament House after their `final meeting` on the issue, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah said they had completed the consultation process as required by the Constitution and would now send separate lists of 12 names each to the parliamentary committee forappointment of four suitable persons to the vacant posts of the commission.

The two leaders said they would submit their lists to the National Assembly secretariat in `sealed envelopes` on Friday (today) with a request to convene a meeting of the bipartisan parliamentary committee on Monday morning the last day for appointment of four ECP members according to the Constitution.

Mr Dar expressed the hope that the committee would finalise the four names one from each province at its meeting and the government would be able to issue a notification for their appointment by Monday evening.

The announcement about sending separate lists to the committee shows that the government and the opposition have failed to reach a consensus on the names, otherwise they were required to send only 12 names for consideration to the committee.In reply to a question, Mr Dar said both sides had a consensus on a few names, and not all names. He said the two sides would send a list of 12 names each three against each vacancy to the committee, which meant there would be 24 names before the committee.

Mr Dar could not give a satisfactory answer when asked if it was not unjustified to give the committee only a day to review the names. He only said the committee could not start work on its own and without receiving the names.

Both the leaders dispelled an impression that they had already reached a consensus and were now only fulfilling a constitutional requirement to send the names to the committee.

They again refused to divulge the proposed names, saying it would not be appropriate to do so before sending the lists to the committee.

Mr Dar said the lists would be before the media when the committee would take these up at itsmeeting on Monday.

Mr Shah said they had fulfilled a `national responsibility` by holding consultations on the issue with great care as they did not want to repeat the past mistakes of appointing controversial persons to the important constitutional posts.

He said it was very difficult to search for `angels` in society, but they had made their best efforts to select people having good reputation with no political affiliation.

He claimed that he had prepared the list in consultation with all opposition parties and expressed the hope that Mr Dar would also have done so after consulting the government allies.

Four ECP members retired on June 10 and the law requires appointment of their successors within 45 days of their retirement.

July 25 is the constitutional deadline for the appointment of new members of the commission.

Taking notice of non-functioning of the ECP for over a month,the Supreme Court, while hearing a case relating to local government elections, has set July 27 as deadline for Elling the vacant posts of E CP members.

The prime minister, in consultation with the opposition leader, is required to forward three names for appointment to each vacantpostoftheECPtotheparliamentary committee for confirmation of any one person. In case there is no consensus between them, they will forward separate lists to the committee for confirmation of any one individual.

This time the appointment of ECP members will be made under a new criterion approved by parliament that has done away with the restriction of them being retired judges.

The 12-member parliamentary committee, headed by Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, comprises Law Minister Zahid Hamid, Shah Mehmood Qureshi of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Dr Farooq Sattar of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Kabeer Shahi of the Pakhtunkhwa MilliAwami Party, Daud Achakzai of the Awami National Party, Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, Arshad Leghari and Dr Darshan of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Nawab Yousuf Talpur, Shazia Marri and Islamuddin Sheikh of the Pakistan Peoples Party.

It may be recalled that the chief election commissioner (CEC) has already postponed byelections in five constituencies of the national and provincial assemblies in Punjab and Sindh, pending the appointment of new ECP members.

The decision to postpone the by-elections was based on the essence of the constitutional provision under which it is the duty of the commission CEC and four members to organise and conduct elections.

Meanwhile, CEC Sardar Raza Khan has postponed his visit to the UK, where he was to attend an important event, because of dysfunctional ECP. The event will now be attended by ECP Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Mohammad.