ISLAMABAD: The schedule for elections will be announced a few days after the installation of a caretaker set-up, following the completion on March 16 of the National Assembly’s term.

Briefing reporters after a meeting of senior officers of the Federal Board of Revenue, State Bank, National Accountability Bureau and National Database and Registration Authority with the Election Commission on Wednesday, ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan said the poll process had already commenced.

He said returning officers (ROs), district returning officers (DROs) and assistant returning officers (AROs) had been appointed, training of the polling staff had commenced and political parties had been invited to apply for election symbols.

Under the law, the date for elections is announced by the president and the ECP has to conduct them within 60 days after the expiry of the assemblies’ term.

Since the election schedule is spread over 45 days, the commission would have less than two weeks after March 16 to announce it.

Mr Khan said a technical committee comprising officials of the FBR, SBP, NAB, Nadra and ECP had discussed at length the modus operandi for verification of nomination papers to effectively screen out NAB convicts, loan defaulters, tax evaders and beneficiaries of loan write-off.

It was decided that the committee would act as a cell and receive copies of the nomination papers from the returning officers for verification.

The ECP secretary said Internet facility was not available in many districts and the ROs there would be unable to send the nomination papers online.

He, however, said that anybody found to be hit by any disqualification clause could be proceeded against even after the polls.

He said the law minister, accompanied by the parliamentary committee on election procedures, would discuss and finalise with the ECP on Thursday a draft of significant amendments to the nomination papers proposed by the commission. A summary in this regard will then be sent to the president for approval.