<\/p>\n
\u2022 Commission says 76pc of nomination papers filed by PTI candidates accepted, asks court to dismiss contempt plea
\u2022 ECP secretary proceeds on \u2018medical leave\u2019; spokesperson says will \u2018resume duties if health permits\u2019
\u2022 Two special secretaries looking after affairs of ECP secretariat; commission \u2018fully functional\u2019<\/p>\n
ISLAMABAD: Shortly before its secretary proceeded on \u2018medical leave\u2019, the Election Commission of Pakistan appri\u00adsed the Supreme Court that more than 76 per cent of the nomination papers submitted by the PTI aspirants for the 2024 general elections had been accepted.<\/p>\n
According to Dawn.com<\/em>, the ECP response was furnished on a PTI petition seeking contempt of court proceedings against the election watchdog and other stakeholders for the alleged violation of the apex court\u2019s Dec 22 orders \u2014 in which the SC had directed the ECP to attend to the PTI\u2019s grievances urgently and resolve these expeditiously \u2014 and lack of level playing field for the party in the lead-up to elections.<\/p>\n The PTI alleged that conspiracies were being hatched to exclude it from the Feb 8 elections as the party\u2019s top leadership and its allies were knocked out of the polls race after almost \u201c90pc of nominations from important leaders\u201d failed to stand the scrutiny exercise. It also claimed that the nomination papers of party candidates had been snatched.<\/p>\n In response to these allegations, the electoral watchdog, citing data obtained by returning officers (ROs), said 598 out of a total of 843 nomination papers of PTI candidates for the National Assembly had been accepted. Similarly, 1,398 out of 1,777 candidatures for provincial assemblies had been accepted, according to a Dawn.com<\/em> report.<\/p>\n