ISLAMABAD: The scrutiny of the nomination papers filed by candidates of various political parties and independent candidates for the next general elections to be held on February 08 next year concluded on Saturday.
The appeals against the acceptance or rejection of nomination papers can be submitted until January 03, 2024 while decisions on these appeals will be made by January 10, 2024.
The list of candidates will be displayed on January 11 and candidates would have the option to withdraw by the January 12, 2024.
ECP rejects Imran Khan’s nomination papers from Lahore, Mianwali
The electoral symbols will be allotted on the January 13, and polling for the general elections will be held on February 8, 2024. As many as 28,626 candidates have submitted their nomination papers for 1,085 general and reserved seats of the national and provincial assemblies across the country for polls to be held on February 8.
According to details shared by Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), at least 7,713 candidates, including 471 women, submitted their nominations to contest the upcoming elections on 266 general seats of the National Assembly.
In Punjab, 3,871 candidates, including 277 women, filed nomination papers for 141 NA seats, while 1,681 candidates, including 110 women, submitted nominations for 61 NA seats in Sindh.
As many as 1,322 candidates, including 39 women, are in the run for 45 general seats in the National Assembly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) while 631 nominees, including 12 women, filed nomination papers against 16 NA seats in Balochistan.
As many as 208 candidates, including 26 women, submitted nominations for three National Assembly seats in the federal capital.
About 459 candidates had filed nomination papers against 60 reserved seats for women in the National Assembly. They include 195 from Punjab, 118 from Sindh, 97 from KP, and 49 from Balochistan. Likewise, 150 nominations, including 10 women, filed nominations against 10 reserved seats for non-Muslims in the National Assembly.
As many as 18,546 candidates, including 802 women, had submitted their nominations for 593 general seats of the four provincial assemblies.
For Punjab Assembly’s 297 general seats, 9,029 candidates had filed nominations, which also included 437 women. Likewise, 4,265 candidates, including 205 women, filed nominations against 130 general seats of the Sindh Assembly.
As many as 3,464 candidates, including 115 women, had filed nomination papers for 115 general seats of the KP Assembly while 1,788 candidates, including 45 women, are in the run for 45 general seats in the Balochistan Assembly.
This is pertinent to mention that nomination papers of all the political parties faced no rejection except the candidates belonging to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) including its founding jailed chairman Imran Khan, whose nomination papers were rejected on the last date of scrutiny of nomination papers which ended on Dec 30.
Separately, PTI spokesman Raoof Hasan said that rejection of nomination papers of Imran Khan and his party candidates is open violation of law and a brazen attempt towards pre-poll rigging.
He said that holding elections on the directives of Supreme Court, the ECP is acting as a silent spectator, adding the ECP is not ready to take any action against the unknown people roaming around the offices of ROs.
He said that ‘unknown people’ are snatching nomination papers and harassing the PTI candidates, but the ECP is in deep slumber.
He called upon the apex court to take notice of the harassment of PTI candidates in order to protect rule of law, the constituent and the dignity of the country before the world.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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