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ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has extended the last date for filing nomination papers by a day for the upcoming Senate elections.
The candidates now can submit their nomination papers until February 15, the commission said in its revised schedule for the Senate polls. The Senate polls are scheduled to be held on March 3.
According to the schedule, the scrutiny of nomination papers will be held between 17 to 18 February. The candidates can file appeals against acceptance or rejection of nomination papers on February 20. These appeals will be disposed off until February 23, the notification read.
The revised list of candidates will be published on February 24, while the candidates can withdraw their nomination papers until February 25. The ECP has said that the schedule has been revised to benefit the candidates willing to contest elections for the Upper House of Parliament.
The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had raised reservations and sought a delay in the submission of nomination forms due to time constraints and legal issues.
PPP’s Secretary-General Nayyar Hussain Bukhari wrote a letter to the Chief Election Commission and said that the time allowed for submission of forms is not enough. According to the letter, the ECP announced the schedule for elections on February 12 and gave only two days – February 12 and 13- for the nomination papers to be submitted.
The PPP leader said that a federal party like PPP needs to conduct an exercise to finalise candidates for the Senate elections. Bukhari lamented that interviews could not be held when the schedule resulting in “disappointment to aspiring candidates”.
He said that the documentation required for submission of nomination forms by candidates is also “very cumbersome” making it difficult to complete all formalities in two days. He urged the Chief Election Commissioner to kindly look into and take appropriate steps to redress the situation.
