Islamabad: The unanimous nomination of eminent jurist Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim as Pakistan’s chief election commissioner by a bipartisan parliamentary panel is widely seen as a good choice, inspiring hope for fair elections.
The 84-year-old former Supreme Court judge accepted what he called a challenging job, though he awaits completion of formalities to start his crucial role at the helm of the Election Commission, as the country approaches the next general election.
In his first interaction with the media after his nomination on Monday, Ebrahim said fair and transparent elections were necessary to save the country and vowed to live up to the task assigned to him.
Popular politician Imran Khan, whose Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf party has no presence in the existing National Assembly as it boycotted the last elections in February 2008, said he has full faith in Ebrahim’s integrity and honesty.
Khan said he was confident that the designated chief election commissioner would ensue free, fair and transparent polls. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in a statement welcomed the parliamentary accord on the selection of the new chief of the Election Commission, currently headed in an acting capacity by a Supreme Court judge.
The statement said Ebrahim is highly respected for his independent mind and impeccable integrity and expressed the hope that under him the Election Commission would work independently to hold fair polls and resolve all related issues.
