A formal announcement is expected by Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim in a press conference to be addressed by him tonight. the returning officers would issue a public notice on March 23 of the dates specified by the commission for respective constituencies whereas the collection of nomination papers would begin from March 24.The returning officers are to issue a public notice on March 24 of the dates specified by the commission for respective constituencies, whereas nomination papers would be received from March 25 to 30 and would be scrutinised between March 31 to April 6.After the announcement of May 11 as election date by President Asif Ali Zardari, the ECP came into action and prepared the election schedule which was to be formally announced on March 23.The ECP will have to finalise one name out of four, two each from the prime minister and the opposition leader.The ECP has called for a meeting to be held on Saturday in Islamabad.The Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim will leave Karachi for Islamabad, sources said.Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain, a member of the committee said that it was unfortunate that politicians had not been able to reach a decision on the selection of a caretaker premier.Ghulam Bilour, a member of the bipartisan parliamentary committee, said that they will accept whatever decision is made by the ECP.Earlier on, Pakistan Peoples Party leader and a member of the bipartisan panel for the selection of a caretaker premier, Syed Khurshid Shah, said a breakthrough had taken place in today’s meeting of the parliamentary committee.However, another member of the committee from PPP, Farooq H Naek, said the panel members were adamant on their respective positions.Earlier today, the bipartisan committee constituted to reach a consensus on the name of the caretaker PM began its meeting for a third day.In its sessions over the last two days, the committee scrutinised the names of PML-N nominees Rasul Bakhsh Palijo, Justice (retd) Nasir Aslam Zahid and PPP nominees Justice (retd) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso and Dr Ishrat Hussain.The members of the bipartisan committee are Sardar Mahtab Abbasi, Sardar Yaqoob Nasir, Pervez Rasheed, Saad Rafiq, Chaudhry Shujaat, Farooq Naek, Khurshid Shah and Ghulam Bilour.Panel members had denied that a deadlock existed between the two parties, saying the issue would be resolved at the committee level.
