ISLAMABAD, Jan 22: Chief Justice Election Commission on Tuesday directed the returning officers appointed for Senate election to reject the nomination papers of those candidates who had defaulted in the payment of bank loans, taxes, and utility dues.

An announcement by the CEC, Justice Irshad Hasan Khan said that all returning officers have been directed to scrutinize nomination papers strictly according to the provisions laid down in Article 8D of the Conduct of General Elections Order, 2002, which prescribes qualifications and disqualifications of members of national and provincial assemblies.

Under Article 8E of the Conduct of General Elections Order, 2002 any person or authority might object to the candidature of a person who had submitted nomination papers for election to a seat in the Senate, before the returning officer within the period specified by the Election Commission for the scrutiny of nomination papers i.e. from Jan 23 to 29, 2003.

The law empowers the CEC or a member of the commission, authorized by the CEC, that on the basis of the information or material coming to his knowledge, satisfied that a candidate whose nomination had been accepted was a defaulter of loans, taxes, government dues or utility charges or has had any loan written off or is subject to any other disqualification from being elected as a member of Senate, he might call upon the candidate to show cause why his nomination should not be rejected, and if he was satisfied that the candidate was defaulter or was subject to any disqualification, he might reject his nomination paper.