ISLAMABAD, July 19: The Election Commission on Tuesday announced that nomination papers of candidates having affiliation with any banned militant outfit or sectarian group would not be acceptable for the upcoming local government elections.

The commission invited people to challenge such nomination papers by immediately informing the concerned returning officers about the existing or former activists of any sectarian, political, linguistic or regional party, especially militant outfit, outlawed by the government.

“The disqualification criteria already exist in the recently issued Code of Conduct for the candidates of the local government elections, but now it has been further elaborated,” acting Chief Election Commissioner Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar told reporters.

Justice Dogar explained that the condition to block members of extremists groups were not introduced for the first time as it was also in place during the 2000—01 LG polls and 2002 general elections.

He rejected the impression that election for the district nazims would be held on the party basis and said the commission was worried about such statements being issued by different political leaders.

He was referring to a recent statement by Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim in which the latter said that election of taluka and district nazims might be held on the party basis.

Meanwhile, Justice Dogar has called a meeting of the Sindh administration on Thursday in Karachi to discuss the law and order and flood situation in the province.

Also, he has directed the returning officers to keep their offices open until midnight on July 19-20 to facilitate candidates in submission of nomination papers.

In the first phase of elections, polling would be held in 54 districts in all the four provinces on August 18. There districts are: Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sargodha, Khushab, Multan, Lodhran, Khanewal, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Vehari, D.G Khan, Rajanpur, Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rahimyar Khan, Karachi, Thatta, Tando Allahyar, Ghotki, Naushehro Firoz, Jacobabad, Kashmore, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Sanghar, Tharparkar, Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda, Mardan, Swabi, Kohat, Karak, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Haripur, Buner, Khuzdar, Mastung, Kharan, Awaran, Pishin, Noshki, Sibi, Ziarat, Bolan, Nasirabad, Jaffarabad, Killa Saifullah, Barkhan and Gwadar.