LAHORE: The Lahore High court on Thursday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Federal Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan Ishtiaq Khan, on the grounds that ECP has been unable to scrutinise assembly candidates since the 2013 elections.

Justice Shehzada Mazhar ordered the police to arrest Khan on February 10 and present him before the court to respond to the court's request of releasing a scrutiny date regarding the candidates through articles 62 and 63 and why it was not carried out.

Javed Babar filed a petition against the federal secretary after the elections took place in 2013, as the ECP stated that they were unable to carry out candidate scrutiny before the elections took place.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and ECP reached an understanding about continuing scrutiny of candidates after their election for national and provincial assembly seats in 2013.

“Scrutiny of 728 members of national and provincial assemblies will continue even after the May 11 polls,” NAB spokesman Ramzan Sajid had told Dawn in April 2013.

Earlier, former NAB Chairman retired Admiral Fasih Bokhari had suggested to the ECP to scrutinise candidates after polls and not before them. He was of the view that scrutiny of thousands of candidates could not be completed by the deadline.

It was believed that it would be difficult for the ECP and the NAB to take any action against legislators after the elections, especially against those who become ministers.