General Elections: ECP starts collection of nomination papers from candidates

LAHORE: The Election Commission of Pakistan has started collection of nomination papers from the aspiring candidates of the upcoming general elections from Monday (today), after the Supreme Court suspended a ruling of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

Following the court decision, the ECP announced revised dates for collection of nomination papers.

The ECP announced that returning officers would accept nomination papers from candidates from June 4 to 8. According to the previous schedule, the candidates were required to submit nomination papers from June 2 to 6.

The list of candidates would also be issued on June 8, according to the revised schedule.

The ECP announced that all the remaining stages of the scheduleannounced earlier, shall remain intact and poll will be held on July 25, 2018, as notified earlier.

The Supreme Court on Sunday clearing the uncertainty over probable delay in holding of the upcoming general elections by suspending a ruling of the Lahore High Court (LHC) with regard to the new nomination forms.

The court order came on petitions filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and former Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq against the June 1 ruling of the LHC.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar categorically stated that the polls will be held on July 25. “The ECP will be solely responsible if the elections are delayed,” he warned.

The petitioners took the stance that the high court verdict will cause a delay in holding of the general elections and therefore, pleaded with the top court to overturn it.

The LHC ruling

Justice Ayesha Malik in her judgement on Friday ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to ensure that all mandatory information and declarations are part of the revised Form A, the nomination form for election to an assembly or the Senate, and Form B, the statement of assets and liabilities.

The court issued its judgement on a petition asking the court to declare the two forms unconstitutional.

The petitioner’s lawyer Saad Rasool contended before the court that the forms had been amended by the parliament to omit vital information and mandatory declarations required under Article 62 and 63 of the Constitution that give voters an idea about a candidate’s credibility.

“The impugned forms do not provide for mandatory information and declarations as required by the Constitution and the law,” Justice Malik wrote in the 39-page judgement.

“The lack of disclosure and information [in Forms A and B] essentially means that a voter will not have the required information on the basis of which an informed decision can be made.”

In support of his arguments, the petitioner’s counsel had attached a comparative chart showing the difference between the 2008, 2013 and 2018 nomination forms which he claimed showed that vital information was missing from the new forms.

While partially allowing the petitions, the court ruled that the ECP is empowered to add to or improve Form A and B “so as to fulfil its constitutional mandate of ensuring honest, just and fair elections”.

The judge dismissed the petitioner’s challenge to the drafting of the nomination form by the parliament for having no merit.