KARACHI, Aug 20: On the second day for the submission of nomination forms, not a single candidate turned up to submit the forms to the returning officers and assistant returning officers in the city till 3 pm on Tuesday.
During last two days, scores of nomination papers were collected from ROs and AROs by aspiring candidates of various parties, but due to the detailed information that is required for filling in the forms, no candidate was able to complete the formalities.
The Election Commission, in its schedule announced on Aug 16, had fixed Aug 19 to 24 for aspiring candidates to file their nominations for the scheduled elections on October 10. After thepassing over of the second day, only four days remain for candidates to complete formalities and file their nominations.
According to political circles, the difficulties being faced by aspiring candidates in meeting the formalities of the nomination papers mostly pertain to the requirement of the attachment certificate showing that the party has nominated the person as its candidate for the constituency, procuring attested copies of educational qualifications, occupation, statement of assets and liabilities of his own, spouse and dependents, and details of assets.
In the city, most candidates from the mainstream political parties have expressed apprehension that if their information in the nomination forms were found inaccurate, this could land them in trouble and even cause them to be debarred from the contest. Hence, they want to double check before filing their nominations, sources close to political parties said.
In the city, the EC has appointed 152 returning and assistant returning officers — 30 ROs and 40 AROs for 20 National Assembly seats and 41 ROs and 41 AROs for 41 seats of the Sindh Assembly from the metropolis.
WOMEN’S SEATS: The distribution of forms for seats reserved for women and non-Muslims also started on Monday and continued on Tuesday, when more forms were obtained. Out of 332 National Assembly seats, 75 have been reserved for Sindh, including 14 for women, adds APP.
The seats for the provincial assemblies have been revised, and now the Sindh Assembly will have 168 members, including 29 women and nine minority members.
PARTIES CRITICAL: The leaders of political and religious parties have criticized the short period granted by the Election Commission for filing nomination papers, saying that it is aimed at making the process complicated rather than simple and facilitating, adds PPI.
Due to the new rules and clauses in the nomination form, the majority of candidates are seeking the help of lawyers and experts to aide them in filling in the papers.
The power granted to ROs to reject on reports “from reliable sources” is also creating apprehension among politicians. They termed delegating such powers to the ROs as an attempt by the government to keep “unwanted politicians” out of election process.
Deputy Secretary-General of the Pakistan Peoples Party Mian Raza Rabbani expressed resentment on the provision of only five days for submitting nomination papers.
“Conditions set by EC for contesting elections are raising doubts that whole process is aimed at obstructing mainstream parties from contesting (the) October elections,” he said, adding that the commission should make the process clear and transparent to ward off prospects of pre-poll rigging.
President of the Sindh Chapter of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal Asadullah Bhutto also criticized the rules, unnecessary clauses and complications in the nomination papers.
His contention was that the government was adopting every possible measure to restrict the passage of anti-government parties and candidates, declaring them “ineligible on legal grounds.”
However, he was of the view that the majority of aspiring candidates belonging to urban-based parties would qualify, as they knew the tactics and had the expertise to tackle the hurdles.
Deputy Convener, Coordination Committee of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Aftab Ahmed Shaikh held the view that the documents and paper requirements along with nomination forms would make it nearly impossible for aspiring candidates to file their nominations within the scheduled time.
Senior Vice President, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf, Dr Arif Alvi echoed the same sentiments, arguing that the EC would have to extend the final date for submitting the nomination forms.