FAISALABAD, Feb 4: The National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) has reportedly decided to lower the educational qualification for contesting elections to the national and provincial assemblies to intermediate and secondary level respectively.

According to informed sources, the president had asked the NRB to reconsider the condition of educational qualification as all the political parties, NGOs and human rights organizations had opposed it in view of low literacy rate in the country.

They said various government agencies had also in their surveys pointed out that the condition would even affect the elections in Balochistan and FATA where a very few people possessed the required qualification.

The federal government reportedly decided to conduct another survey through its agencies which suggested it to reduce the qualification to matric level. They said the matric qualification condition was accepted by a large majority in the recently held local bodies elections for Nazims and Naib Nazims.