The formation of the proposed judicial commission to settle the lingering issue of poll rigging during 2013 elections may hit a snag once again as the federal government appears visibly hesitant over some clauses in the ordinance that it agreed to a week ago. Well-placed sources told Business Recorder that the government reportedly wants to remove the clause from the ordinance stating that 'the prime minister will dissolve the National Assembly if the rigging allegations are proved as a result of the judicial inquiry'.

Sources said the legal wizards as well as close aides of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have suggested that this specific clause should be replaced with a more 'docile' one as it might be exploited by the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf).

The senior PML-N leadership is cognisant of the fact that no commission will declare 2013 election results as completely transparent and in such a situation, they added, any terms of reference (ToRs) making the prime minister bound to dissolve the assembly will backfire.

The draft of the proposed ordinance was shared with all political parties and endorsed by all except Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) - a party that earlier supported formation of the judicial commission but changed its stance after rangers' raid on 90.

The government was forced to form the judicial commission to probe allegations of rigging in 2013 general elections after months of protest/sit-ins by opposition political party -PTI - and intervention by different political parties.

The political jirga comprising Senator Rehman Malik of Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Ameer Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Senator Sirajul Haq and others paved the way for setting up a judicial commission through a presidential ordinance.

Senator Ishaq Dar of PML-N and PTI vice president Shah Mehmood Qureshi told a press conference on March 20 that both the parties had agreed to form a judicial commission through a presidential ordinance, and the process will be completed within a week.

However, despite passage of ten days the President is yet to issue the ordinance as agreed between the two parties and finance minister Ishaq Dar informed National Assembly on Friday last that the ordinance will be promulgated within a day or two but so far there has been no movement towards promulgation of the ordinance.

When contacted, senior PTI leader Asad Umar confirmed that the government wants some changes in the agreed ToRs and this was the reason the promulgation of the ordinance is getting delayed.

"This week is quite critical as far as promulgation of the presidential ordinance is concerned...if the government is serious about formation of the [judicial] commission, it will promulgate it [ordinance] this week or never," he added. Pervez Rashid, information minister could not be reached for his comments.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2015