QUETTA: Independent candidates and those belonging to different political parties of Balochistan have started filing their nomination papers with returning officers for contesting the upcoming general elections.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will be receiving nomination papers of the candidates till June 8 for 16 National Assembly seats from Balochistan and 51 provincial assembly seats.

Provincial election commissioner Niaz Baloch said on Tuesday that the ECP had started receiving nomination papers from candidates on Monday, adding that two nomination papers had been issued for NA-265 Quetta II so far.

“The candidates are precluded to submit their nomination papers till June 8 in the election commission office. The documents would be scrutinised from June 9 to June 13,” he said.

Balochistan Awami Party founder Saeed Ahmed Hashmi, his wife Dr Ruqaiya Hashmi, Nawabzada Haji Lashkari Raisani from Balochistan National Party, Ismail Gujjar, Nawabzada Humayun Jogezai, Awami National Party’s Arbab Umar Farooq Kasi and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Qasim Sori as well as Pakistan Peoples Party’s Rozi Khan Kakar are among those who may contest election from NA-265.

Former chief minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, Nawab Raisani, Sarfaraz Bugti, Nawab Changez Marri, Nawabzada Gazain Marri and Nawab Aali Bugti have also received their nomination papers.

Many political parties, however, are facing woes following new delimitations and urging ECP to address their grievances.

“Still we are facing confusion over delimitation as many of our constituencies had been removed while others have been added, creating hurdles in the election process,” said National Party general secretary Mehrab Baloch. He demanded more representation for Balochistan in the National Assembly.

The Balochistan High Court had nullified delimitation of eight constituencies last week and had ordered the ECP to review the delimitation following public concerns.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2018