F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has accelerated the process to scrutinize the nomination papers of the candidates vying to contest the February 8 general elections.
The ECP has started to take decisions about the nomination papers of the candidates and latest are country’s top politicians including PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan whose papers were accepted on Tuesday.
Nawaz Sharif’s nomination papers from NA-130 were approved. PML-N leader Bilal Yasin submitted the nomination papers for the party quaid which were approved on Tueday.
Talking to newsmen, Bilal Yasin said Nawaz Sharif’s nomination papers were presented in the Returning Officer’s (RO) office where the he asked some questions and sanctioned the approval to the nomination papers. Bilal Yasin stated that Nawaz Sharif’s lawyer Amjad Parvez also appeared in the RO’s office along with him.
Meanwhile, nomination papers of Bilawal Bhutto were approved from NA-194 and NA-196 in Larkana. Nobody raised any objection to Bilawal’s nomination papers.
Bilawal’s Political Secretary Jameel Ahmad Soomro appeared before the RO for scrutiny of the nomination papers.
Meanwhile, former PML-N leader and interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s nomination papers were also approved from NA-53.
ECO to scrutinize 28,626 nomination papers
Political activities for next general elections are gaining momentum and the scrutiny of the nomination papers filed by candidates is underway, which will continue till Saturday (December 30).
According to Election Commission Pakistan, a total of 28,626 candidates had filed nomination papers to contest elections at the national and four provincial assemblies’ constituencies.
Out of them, 13,823 candidates filed nominations from Punjab, 6,498 submitted nomination papers from Sindh, 5,278 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2,669 from Balochistan while 358 candidates have filed nomination papers from Islamabad.
Meanwhile, appeals against the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers can be submitted until the 3rd of January and decisions on these appeals will be made by the 10th of January.
The list of candidates will be displayed on the 11th of January, and candidates would have the option to withdraw by the 12th of January.
The electoral symbols will be allotted on the 13th of January, and polling for the general elections will be held on February 8.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan has given more time to foreign observers who want to monitor the general elections.
Now, they can submit their applications from December 31 to January 20.
