ISLAMABAD: With just a little about a month left for general elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), on Friday, extended the last date for scrutiny of nomination papers filed by candidates for the crucial elections in the five legislatures of the country till January 13.

A notification issued by the ECP said that the last date for the scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held on January 13, while the last date for filing of appeals against decisions of the returning officer will be January 16, 2024.

The ECP also revised various stages of the election programme for reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the National Assembly and four provincial assemblies.

The revised list of candidates will be published on January 20 next year. The candidates can withdraw their names by January 22 next year and the final list of the contesting candidates will be issued on January 23, 2024.

Meanwhile, the office of the provincial election commissioner in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa asked returning officers (ROs) in different districts to ensure the recovery of unpaid fines from political leaders, including jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, who owes Rs200,000 to the ECP, during the scrutiny of their nomination papers for February 8 elections.

According to a letter to returning officers dated December 28 issued by the provincial election commissioner, it is said that a total of 62 political figures from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab are indebted to ECP with fines ranging from Rs5,000 to Rs50,000. The fines are contingent on the severity of the committed violations.

As per the letter, Imran Khan allegedly committed four separate violations, and each time, he received a fine of Rs50,000, which is yet to be paid. All these violations occurred in March 2022, just a month before his ouster through a parliamentary vote. In the ECP’s list, the largest outstanding amount is attributed to Imran Khan, with a total of Rs200,000 owed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023