ECP extends nomination papers date for Punjab assembly election,

ISLAMABAD  – The Ministry of Defence on Tuesday apprised the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that the army would not be available for election duty due to the ongoing security situation in the country and on the borders.

It comes as the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) are drawing near after the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the ECP to hold elections in both provinces. Elections are scheduled to be held in Punjab on April 30 and in KP and on May 28 in KP.

The election watchdog stated in a press release that the election chief Sikandar Sultan Raja held three important meetings in connection with holding the elections. In the third meeting, Defence Secretary Lt Gen (retd) Hamood Uz Zaman Khan and Additional Secretary Maj Gen Khurram Sarfraz Khan informed the ECP that the army was not available to be deployed for elections in provinces.

The defence secretaries added that the country’s economic situation was also impacting the army ending the statement by saying that it would be the government’s prerogative to call the military for “secondary duties” such as elections.

“They also clarified that in case of election duty, the army can be deployed in quick reaction force mode but it is not possible to perform duty in static mode,” the press release read.

It merits mention that the Army had turn downed ECP request earlier  seeking deployment of military and Rangers’ troops outside all highly sensitive polling stations along with quick response force for the second phase of the local government elections in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions.

Meanwhile,

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has extended the date of submission of nomination papers for Punjab assembly seats by two days, . According to a notification issued on ECP, the extended date will also apply to reserved seats.  The parties have also been told to submit priority lists for the reserved seats for women and non-Muslims by March 16.

All the schedule of the election remains as per the notification of the Election Commission dated 8th March 2023.

According to the ECP, the general elections for the Punjab Assembly will be held on April 30.

According to the changed schedule, the filing of nomination papers that began on March 12 would be till March 16, after which the names of the candidates would be published on March 17.

The scrutiny of nomination papers would be conducted on March 22, while March 27 had been fixed as the last date for filing of appeals against decisions of the returning officer, either rejecting or accepting the nomination papers.

The appeals would be decided by the appellate tribunal by April 3. Then the revised lists of candidates would be published on April 4 and the candidates would be able to withdraw their nomination papers till April 5, according to the ECP schedule.

On April 6, the list of contesting candidates would be finalised with the allotment of the election symbols and voting would be held on April 30.