Senate candidates will need clearance from NAB: sources

ISLAMABAD: The Senate candidates selected by various political parties in the country will have to get a clearance from National Accountability Bureau (NAB), ARY NEWS reported.

According to sources, the Election Commission of Pakistan will finalize lists of the candidates nominated by political parties for the election scheduled on March 03 and will send them to the NAB for a scrutiny process.

Likewise, other institutions who would submit their reports regarding the candidates, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will also provide details of cases, if any, against the candidates.

The sources privy to the development said that the accountability watchdog has already formed teams in this regard to acquire records of the candidates.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday issued the schedule for the Senate elections in the four provinces.

According to the top electoral body, the polling to elect legislators for the upper house of the parliament will be held on March 3.

As many as 52 senators are set to retire — 50 percent of the 104-member house — on March 11 after completing their six-year tenure. However, this time there will be no polling for the four seats of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) after its merger with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Read More: ECP to scrutinize credentials of Senate candidates via online process

As per the schedule released by the ECP, public notice inviting nomination papers will be issued by the Returning Officers on February 11. The ECP will accept submission of the nomination papers on February 12 and 13.

Meanwhile, the scrutiny process for the nominations is to be completed on February 15 and 16, and the final list of the contestant will be issued later on Feb 21, while the candidates can withdraw their nomination papers on February 22.