Desk Report,
Discussions on recruitment in statutory bodies, no consensus reached: Ali Riaz
In discussions with political parties on the reform issue, the National Consensus Commission had earlier proposed the formation of a National Constitutional Council (NCC) for appointments to various statutory institutions. Since there was no consensus on this proposal, the commission proposed the formation of a appointments committee instead of the NCC. But there was no consensus in the discussions on the formation of this committee either.
Discussions on recruitment in statutory bodies, no consensus reached: Ali Riaz
The seventh day of the second phase of discussions with political parties was held today, Sunday, at the Doel Hall of the Foreign Service Academy in the capital. Consensus Commission Vice President Professor Ali Riaz told reporters after the discussion.
No new issues were raised in today’s discussion. Unfinished discussions on several previous issues were discussed again. These included the appointment committee for constitutional and statutory institutions, the bicameral parliament, the election process of the upper house, and the responsibilities and roles of the upper house.
The Consensus Commission called on political parties to reconsider the proposal to form a committee for appointments to statutory institutions. Professor Ali Riaz said, “Most parties have welcomed the proposal of the Appointments Committee instead of the NCC to complete appointments in statutory institutions. But we have requested the political parties that have not yet agreed to reconsider the proposal after making a few amendments. We hope that they will reconsider. We hope that the issue will be resolved in the next discussion.”
Professor Ali Riaz said that most parties agreed in favor of a bicameral parliament, “Many parties have talked about the proportional representation system for the formation of the upper house. Some parties have clearly opposed the proportional representation system. But we are trying to complete the discussion by July and announce the July Charter.”
Professor Ali Riaz expressed hope that the political parties will make further progress in the consensus discussion. He said that they will play a role in creating an accountable state structure.
