ISLAMABAD, Sept 11: The Election Commission said on Wednesday that any political party which fails to submit audited statement of their accounts till Thursday, will not be allowed to contest election and the election symbol allotted to it will be withdrawn.

People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) was the only major political party whose statement was not found in conformity with the provisions of Political Parties Order, 2002, and was asked by the EC last week to resubmit the statement audited by a Chartered Accountant.

The EC sources told Dawnthat the Parliamentarians had explained its position which had been accepted by the EC and now it was not required to submit any further statement. It was explained to the EC that People’s Party Parliamentarians had been formed after the passage of financial year and the restriction of submission of audited report of its finances would be applicable next year.

All the remaining major political parties, such as PML-N, PML(QA), Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Awami National Party, have submitted the statements of their accounts audited by Chartered Accountants.

The Commission said under the Political Parties Order, 2002, the political parties required to submit a consolidated statement of accounts of the party audited by a Chartered Accountant within sixty days of the close of each financial year.

It said the prescribed period had already expired on Aug 29.

“However, the Election Commission has allowed such parties, who could not submit their statements of accounts in time, to send the same by 12th Sept 2002.”

All such political parties, which have not presented their statements of accounts audited by a Chartered Accountant, have been informed to do so before 12th Sept, 2002, it said.

“They are again advised in their own interest to submit the same to the Election Commission by the evening of 12th Sept, 2002, otherwise they will be treated as defaulters and appropriate action in accordance with the law shall be taken against them,” it added.

The parties which had been asked to resubmit statement of accounts, are: People’s Party Parliamentarians, Balochistan National Congress, Hazara Qaumi Mahaz, Ittehad Milli Hazara, Jamaat Ahle Hadith Pakistan, Labour Party Pakistan, Markazi Jamaat Ahle Hadith, Mohajir Ittehad Tehrik, Mohajir Kashmiri Movement, National People’s Party Workers Group, Nizam-i-Mustafa Party, Pak Wattan Party, Pak Muslim Alliance, Pakistan Awami Tehreek-i-Inqilab, Pakistan Brohi Party, Pakistan Gharib Party, Pakistan Ittehad Tehreek, Pakistan Muslim League (Qasim), Pakistan Progressive Party (Suraya Farman Group), Punjab National Front, Punjab National Party, Qaumi Inqilab Party, Tehrik Wafaq Pakistan and Tehreek-i-Istaqlal.

The parties which have not so far submitted statements are: PPP (Shaheed Bhutto), National Awami Party, Istiqlal Party, Jamote Qaumi Movement, Kakar Jamhoori Party Pakistan, National Workers Party, Pakhtoonkhwa Qaumi Party, Pakistan Awami Quwat Party, Pakistan Brohi Party, Pakistan Jamhoori Aman Party, Pakistan Maqsad Himayat Tehrik, Pakistan Progressive Party, Pakistan Workers Party, Sindh Urban Rural Alliance, Sunni Tehreek, Tehreek Wafaq Pakistan, Sindh Democratic Alliance, National Awami Party and Islami Siasi Tehreek.

SYMBOLS: The EC directed the ROs to keep following principles in mind while allotting the symbols to the candidates: