Election activities begin as ECP spells out dos and don’ts

ISLAMABAD The acquisition and submission of nomination papers for candidates intending to participate in the national and provincial assembly seats in the upcoming 2024 general elections commenced on Wednesday and will persist until Friday (December 22).

According to the schedule issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), aspiring candidates can obtain and submit their nomination papers from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm until December 22, 2023.

The initial list of candidates is set to be released on December 23, with the scrutiny of nomination papers scheduled to take place from December 24 to December 30. Electoral symbols will be assigned to candidates on January 13, 2024, and the general elections are scheduled to held on February 8.

The cost for acquiring the nomination papers is set at Rs100. Each candidate is allowed to submit a maximum of five nomination papers, each with different endorsers.

For those contesting a National Assembly seat, the non-refundable fee is Rs30,000. Meanwhile, candidates vying for a provincial assembly seat are required to pay a non-refundable fee of Rs20,000.

Candidates must attach their income tax return documents from the past three years along with their nomination papers.

The fundamental eligibility criteria for candidates include being a citizen of Pakistan and being at least 25 years old.

Individuals contesting National Assembly seats must be registered voters in any location within Pakistan. To vie for a seat in the provincial assembly, the candidate is required to be a voter of the respective province. The nomination papers must include an attested copy of the identity card and vote certificate of both the candidate recommender and endorser. Additionally, a copy of the passport on behalf of the candidate should be attached to the nomination papers.

The nomination fee is to be deposited by the candidate directly to the Returning Officer (RO) or through a bank draft.

Failure to comply with Articles 62 and 63 will result in the disqualification of a candidate.

Additionally, the proposer for general seats must be a voter from the relevant constituency.

For women and non-Muslim seats in the national and provincial assembly, both the proposers and seconders must be voters of the respective province.

However, nominators and supporters of candidates for non-Muslim seats in the assembly can be voters from any part of Pakistan.

As many as 128.585 million people will cast their votes across the country during the general elections. Out of these 69.263 million (53.87 percent) are male, and 59.322 million (46.13 percent) are female voters. The number of total votes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is 21.928 million.

Meanwhile, in Lahore, a number of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leaders, including the former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif, obtained the nomination papers from the ECP, Lahore office.

Sources said Nawaz will contest from NA-130 (Lahore) and NA-15 (Mansehra), Shehbaz will contest from NA-123 (Lahore), while Maryam Nawaz will contest from NA-119 (Lahore) and from the provincial assembly seat of the same constituency.

“I am proud to announce that Nawaz Sharif is going to become prime minister from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to end people’s deprivation of this province,” Captain (retd) Safdar told reporters outside the deputy commissioner’s office in Mansehra.

Flanked by his party’s local leaders and aspirants, he said his father-in-law would contest the February 8, 2024 general elections from NA-15-Mansehra-II.

“I have received Nawaz Sharif’s nomination papers which will be submitted with the returning officer concerned within the stipulated time,” Safdar said.

He added that his spouse, Maryam Nawaz, would become the next chief minister of Punjab.

The former lawmaker from NA-15, which stretched over to the neighbouring Torghar district, said he wanted to serve people and wouldn’t contest the election. “If my leadership decided to take me to the Senate I will not decline the offer,” he went on to add.

The sources said Maryam will contest from two provincial constituencies while Hamza Shehbaz will participate in the election from NA-118 (Lahore).

Meanwhile, PMLN Secretary Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said the party has officially directed the candidates across the country to submit their nomination papers to contest the upcoming general elections.

The former information minister and said that party President Shehbaz Sharif has extended formal permission to aspirants seeking party tickets to submit their nomination papers for all the national and provincial assembly constituencies.

Separately, in a meeting on Wednesday, the PMLN president directed all hopeful candidates to initiate the submission of their nomination papers. Shehbaz has mandated that the candidates also submit their affidavits to the respective PMLN district president by December 22.

Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan will contest elections from at least three constituencies in the general elections, his party announced.

Speaking to media outside the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, PTI Senator Ali Zafar said the Islamabad High Court (IHC) would announce its Toshakhana reserved verdict soon as the election schedule has already been announced.

“We want to inform you that Imran Khan will contest elections from at least three constituencies and we hope that the IHC will announce its judgment soon in the Toshakhana case, as the election schedule has been issued,” he added.

He said the IHC would also rule on PTI’s appeal that sought suspension of the former PM’s conviction in the Toshkhana case.

The PTI senator also called upon workers to submit their nomination papers for the upcoming polls, saying the party would prioritise the jailed members for tickets to contest the elections.

Speaking on the occasion, PTI chief Barrister Gohar said Imran will contest polls from the Lahore, Islamabad and Mianwali constituencies.

He also opposed the top lawyers’ bodies’ demand seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja, saying his party did not make any such demand.

The PTI chairman said the final decision regarding ticket allocation will be made by Imran Khan. He also alleged that hurdles were being created for their candidates to contest the elections.

“The nomination papers were snatched from Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s secretary in Adiala jail,” he claimed, warning that barring their candidates from contesting polls could disturb the law and order situation.

PTI President Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi will contest on six seats -- 3 of NA and 3 of Punjab Assembly, his counsel told the media after a detailed meeting with Elahi in Adiala Jail.

Sardar Abdur Razzaq Advocate said that the former Punjab CM signed six nomination papers for NA-59, NA-64, NA-69, PP-23, PP-32 and PP-34, adding that Elahi will contest from Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Talagang.

Speaking to a news conference, PTI Spokesperson Shoaib Shaheen, meanwhile, said that it is the responsibility of the ECP to ensure transparent elections but the commission was focused only on crushing the PTI.

He explained that “the Election Commission asked us to hold the party elections again, we conducted it, then a questionnaire containing 40 questions was handed over to us, today a new achievement has happened, a party whose name no one has heard has been given name of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Parliamentarian”.

Shoaib Shaheen said that he had submitted an application Tuesday on behalf of the party chairman that ‘we want to meet the founder chairman, we have not yet been given the symbol of the bat’.

“When we ask questions, we are given a notice of contempt of the Election Commission, you use all your power and force against one party,” he alleged, addressing the electoral body.

He said that the nomination papers of the party leader Umair Niazi’s father were snatched, the same has happened with Shaukat Basra. Shaheen said that if such elections are to be held, then it’s a joke with 250 million people. He charged the sanctity of privacy was being violated, alleging “the ECP is a partner in all the conspiracies being hatched against us”.

Separately, the PTI spokesperson strongly condemned ‘violence’ on the long march of Baloch citizens, saying that the attempts to subjugate the citizens and target them blindly, completely in violation of the Constitution and law, are creating more intensity and seriousness in the crises instead of resolving.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari will contest the general election from the NA-207, Benazirabad district

On the first day, four candidates submitted their nomination papers for three seats of the National Assembly and six seats of the Sindh Provincial Assembly in Hyderabad.

Former MNA Tariq Shah Jamot submitted nomination papers for NA 218 and former provincial minister Jam Khan Shoro for PS 60.

It should be noted that PPP leader Sharjeel Inam Memon will probably submit nomination papers for PS 61 on Friday.

PPP’s Naveed Qamar obtained nomination from Tando Muhammad Khan, and Ismail Raho and Mirza family from Badin.

Meanwhile, in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, most of the candidates received their nomination papers through their representatives. Two PTI aspirants also got their nomination papers.

Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmad and his nephew Rashid Shafique took the papers for NA-55 and NA-56, while PMLN disgruntled leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan received nomination papers for NA-53.

While talking to media here in the Judicial Complex, Rawalpindi, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq said that he had submitted nomination papers for him and his uncle Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. “We will appear in the RO office on December 24 at 10am, he said.The sources told ‘The News’ that Chaudhry Nisar will contest elections from NA-53 as an independent candidate. The PTI will fully support him in the elections, sources claimed.

In Peshawar, a number of candidates from different political parties collected nomination forms from the ROs offices.

According to an ECP official, two female candidates submitted their nomination papers at the office of provincial election commissioner.

“More male and female candidates are to file their papers Thursday and on Friday,” said the official, adding that some of the top politicians, including party heads, will file nomination papers in the coming two days.

Polls will be held in KP for 55 National Assembly and 145 provincial assembly seats. According to the ECP officials, there are 45 general seats and 10 seats reserved for women in the National Assembly from the KP.

Besides, there are 115 general seats, 26 seats reserved for women and four seats reserved for minorities in the KP Assembly. The number of total votes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is 21.928 million. Meanwhile, the ECP issued the code of conduct for the general elections, barring political parties, contesting candidates and election agents from propagating any opinion, or act in any manner prejudicial to the ideology of Pakistan.

Issued through a notification under Article 218(3) of the Constitution, read with Section 233 of the Elections Act 2017, the code barred political parties, candidates and poll agents also from propagating against the sovereignty, integrity or security of Pakistan, or morality or public order, or the integrity or independence of the judiciary of Pakistan, or which defames or brings into ridicule the judiciary and the Armed Forces of Pakistan.

The code said that the political parties, contesting candidates and election agents must abide by all directions, instructions and regulations issued by the ECP, from time to time, relating to smooth conduct of elections, the maintenance of public order and morality and refrain from maligning the commission in any form whatsoever, violation whereof would entail contempt as contemplated in Section 10 of the Act.

“Political parties, contesting candidates, election agents and their supporters shall not indulge in offering gifts or gratifications or inducements to any person to contest or not to contest as a candidate, or to withdraw or retire or not to withdraw or not to retire from the election. Violation will be treated as corrupt practice,” it warned.The political parties, contesting candidates, election agents and their supporters must extend cooperation to law enforcement agencies for ensuring the safety and security of election material, election officials and polling agents on polling day.The parties must provide equal opportunity to its qualified members both men and women to participate in electoral processes and, while making the selection of candidates on general seats in an assembly, the party shall ensure at least five percent representation of women candidates as required under Section 206 of the Act.The political parties, contesting candidates, election agents and their supporters or other persons should not encourage or enter into formal or informal agreement/ arrangement/ understanding debarring men, women and transgender from becoming a candidate for an election or exercising their right of vote in an election.