Scrutiny of over 10,000 nomination papers begin

Election authorities across Pakistan have started scrutiny of over 10,000 nomination papers filed until Sunday night, officials said Monday.

The authorities will complete the process in a week time and a senior official of the election commission has said that the scrutiny will be merciless.

The first phase of the election process has completed with over 10,000 candidates filed the papers for 849 general seats of the national and four provincial assemblies. Crowds were seen at the last day of extended deadline at Sunday midnight.

Scrutiny of the papers will continue till April 7, the amended schedule announced by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) says.

The candidates will have to face tough time at the time of the scrutiny of the papers as for the first time in the country’s history all details of the candidates will thoroughly be checked.

A special cell of officials from the Federal Board of Revenue, State Bank, National Accountability Bureau, National Database and Registration Authority and the ECP has been set up to ensure that tax evaders, loan defaulters, beneficiaries of written-off loans and defaulters of government dues don’t enter the legislatures.

The candidates were asked to submit copies of their income and agricultural tax returns for three years, besides details of expenses on their foreign visits during the time and the expenses on their children studying abroad.

The candidates were required to file a declaration that no loan of Rs:2 million or more obtained from any bank, financial institution, cooperative society or corporate body in their own or any of their dependents’ names, or any business concern mainly owned by them or their dependents stood unpaid for more than a year from the due date, or had been written off. A declaration about default in payment of government dues or utility charges in excess of Rs:10,000 for over six months at the time of filing the papers was also required.

Under the definition provided in the law, loan means any loan, advance, credit or finance obtained or written off on or after Dec 31, 1985, but shall not include the loan the recovery of which has been delayed or suspended by any other order or of a court or tribunal, including the high courts and the Supreme Court.

The Government dues and utility charges include rent, charges of rest houses or lodges owned by the federal, provincial or local governments or corporations established or controlled by them, except those stayed by judicial orders.

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Posted by Tahir Khan on Apr 1 2013. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.