ISLAMABAD: As the controversy over a meaningful scrutiny of nomination papers took a new turn with the Supreme Court approving an affidavit proposed by the Election Commission of Pakistan to make up for the missing information, the ECP on Wednesday directed all the candidates to submit the affidavit with the returning officers concerned.

The ECP announced that the nomination papers of those who failed to submit the same by June 11 would be deemed to have been rejected.

The candidates will now have to solemnly affirm that no loan of Rs2 million or more has been obtained from any bank, financial institution, cooperative society or corporate body in their own name or their spouses or dependents, and that no loans were unpaid for more than one year or written off against a business concern mainly owned by them.

They will also testify that no business concern owned by them or their spouses or dependents was in default in payment of government dues or utility charges, including telephone, electricity, gas and water charges of an amount in excess of Rs10,000, for over six months, at the time of filing of the nomination papers. They will also have to provide the names of their spouses and dependants.

Move to make up for information missing in nomination forms

The candidates will also be required to affirm that no criminal case was pending against them six months prior to the filing of nomination papers and otherwise provide details of the same.

They will have to provide details of their educational qualification, occupation, passport number, national tax number, and the income tax paid by them during the past three financial years, besides details of their travel abroad during the past three years and cost incurred on the same and details of the countries visited and period of stay. Those who were lawmakers in the now dissolved assemblies will have to provide details of important achievements and contributions for the benefit of their constituency.

The candidates will also be required to disclose the amount contributed by them to the political party they are a ticket holder of.

The candidates will have to declare that they have not ceased to be citizen of Pakistan nor have acquired or applied for the citizenship of a foreign state, or otherwise provide details of a foreign passport obtained by them.

Besides providing details of their net assets, the candidates will have to formally acknowledge that failure to give details regarding any item in respect of Form A and Form B shall render their nomination to contest election invalid or if any information given is found incorrect at any time, their election shall stand void ab initio. They are also required to hold out a written assurance to abide by the code of conduct for polls.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2018