LAHORE/ISLAMABAD/KARACHI  -  The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday began issuing and receiving nomination papers from can­didates desiring to contest the February 8 general elections.

In this regard, the PML-N and the PTI have directed their candidates across the country to file nomination papers to contest elections scheduled for Feb 8. 

The ECP will continue re­ceiving 11-page nominations papers until Friday and will publish the list of candidates on Saturday. The scrutiny pro­cess will start from Sunday to 30th of this month.

Appeals against acceptance or rejection of nomination pa­pers can be filed by 3rd of next month, which will be decided by Appellate Tribunals till 10th of next month. The revised list of candidates will be displayed on 11 January and candidates can withdraw their papers till 12 January. The Election Com­mission will allot election sym­bols to the political parties and independent candidates on 13th of next month while polling will be held on 8th of February.

As the process was set into motion on Wednesday, potential candidates started obtaining forms from the electoral body. The timings to receive nomina­tion papers are from 8:30am to 4:30pm. The nomination pa­pers can be submitted to ECP by December 22.

Among the prominent polit­ical leaders who obtained the nomination papers on Wednes­day were PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif, PPP-P President Asif Ali Zardari, PPP Chairmen Bilaw­al Bhutto Zardari, former PTI chairman Imran Khan, Sheikh Rashid, Khurshid Shah, Sheh­baz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Al­eem Khan, Jahangir Tareen and many others.

Nawaz Sharif will contest election from NA-15 (Manseh­ra) and his son-in-law Captain Safdar received nomination pa­pers on his behalf. On the occa­sion, he said Nawaz Sharif will contest polls from his home of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The nomination papers of Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz and Hamza Shehbaz have also been acquired.

The sources of PML-N dis­closed that the leadership of PML-N will participate in the election from their previous­ly held constituencies. Nawaz Sharif will simultaneously con­test from NA 130 Lahore and NA-15 Manshera KPK, former prime minister Shahbaz Shar­if obtained nomination pa­pers from NA 123 and PP 158, the younger Sharif is also like­ly to contest election from Kara­chi constituency, while Maryam Nawaz will contest from NA 119 of National Assembly and pro­vincial assembly seat, she will participate in the election from two provincial constituencies as well while Hamza Shehbaz will participate in the election from NA-118 PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari obtained nom­ination papers from NA-207 (Nawabshah-I). Advocate Ghu­lam Shabbir received the papers on behalf of Asif Zardari.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhut­to Zardari will contest elections from NA-194 Larkana. PPP Lar­kana president received Bilaw­al’s nomination papers.

AML leader Sheikh Rashid Shafiq submitted nomination papers of former interior min­ister and party chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed from NA-57 in Rawalpindi.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Safdar — the hus­band of PML-N Chief Organ­iser Maryam Nawaz — said that the former prime minister would submit his nomination papers for the National Assem­bly seat “NA-15 Mansehra-cum-TorGhar” by December 21 (Thursday). The development comes as the Election Commis­sion of Pakistan (ECP) began re­ceiving the nomination papers from potential candidates who are set to contest polls slated for February 8, 2024.

As per the documents, Nawaz’s name is included in the list of nomination forms issued to the candidates of the said constituency.

The PML-N supremo’s de­cision to file nomination pa­pers from NA-15 comes as the constituency is considered a stronghold of the party that won the seat in the 2013 and 2018 elections. Nawaz, who re­turned to Pakistan in October after a four-year self-imposed exile, has been leading the par­ty’s election campaign with his eyes set on a fourth term as the country’s chief executive.

Since his return, the three-time prime minister has got his sentences in Avenfield and Al-Azizia references quashed by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

However, following his dis­qualification — by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers Case — Nawaz needs the life­long ban on holding any pub­lic office to be removed if he is to qualify to contest the upcom­ing polls. IPP president Aleem Khan has also reportedly ob­tained nomination papers from NA 119 of Lahore from where Maryam Nawaz has acquired nomination forms.

PML-N leader Nazir Chauhan obtained nomination papers from PP 162. PTI leader Shafqat Mehmood has received nomi­nation papers from NA-128, the incarcerated PTI leader Dr. Yas­min Rashid has acquired nom­ination papers from PP-174 meanwhile Mian Aslam Iqbal of PTI has received nomination papers from PP-171.Another Muslim League (N) leader Rana Mubasher Iqbal acquired nomi­nation papers from NA 124.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) president and former Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi will contest the elections from 6 constituen­cies. Elahi’s lawyer Sardar Ab­dul Raziq Khan disclosed that Parvez Elahi has signed the nomination papers, adding PTI president will participate in the elections from 6 constituencies including three National Assem­bly and three provincial assem­bly seats. Elahi will contest from Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Talagang, he will contest from National Assembly constituen­cies of NA 59, 64 and 69, simul­taneously. He aims to secure vic­tory in the provincial assembly, contesting from PP-23, PP-32 and PP-34.

On the other hand the Pa­tron In-chief of Istehkam-e-Pa­kistan Party (IPP) Jahangir Ta­reen has received nomination papers to contest the gener­al elections 2024 from one Na­tional Assembly and two Punjab Assembly seats. Tareen’s legal team received nomination pa­pers on his behalf. Tareen has obtained nomination papers to contest elections from NA-155-Lodhran II, PP-227 Lodhran IV and PP-228 Lodhran-V.Tareen son Ali Tareen will be the cover­ing candidate for his father, who has also obtained nomination papers for the same constituen­cies. IPP Quaid Jahangir Tareen is likely to submit his nomina­tion papers to the Election Com­mission of Pakistan (ECP) on December 21 or 22

Meanwhile, President Iste­hkam-e-Pakistan Party Abdul Aleem Khan will contest gen­eral elections from Lahore for National and Punjab As­semblies. As per details, legal team of Abdul Aleem Khan has collected nomination papers on his behalf on Wednesday. President IPP Abdul Aleem Khan is likely to file nomina­tion papers from NA-119, PP-149 and PP-150 any time on Thursday. IPP leader and For­mer federal minister Huma­yun Akhtar on Wednesday submitted his nomination pa­pers from constituency NA 97 Tandlianwala of Faisala­bad formerly held by PML-N’s leader Ali Gohar Baloch.