ISLAMABAD: Two days are left for candidates to file their nomination papersfor the upcoming elections of national and provincial assemblies scheduledto be held on July 25.

As per the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) schedule for elections,candidates can submit their nomination papers till June 8 (Friday) and theinitial list of candidates will be displayed on the same day.

The nomination papers will be scrutinized on June 14, while appeals againstdecisions by retuning officers can be filed till June 19. The appealtribunal will wind up requests by June 26 and a day later, on June 27,candidates’ list would be displayed again.

The candidates will then have time until June 28, to withdraw theirnomination papers, after which a new list — with election symbols — wouldbe issued on June 29. Candidates throughout the country on Wednesdaycontinued to file their nomination papers for seats of national andprovincial assemblies.

The ECP has set up Online Scrutiny Cell to facilitate returning officers inscrutiny of nomination papers of contesting candidates.

The cell comprising four teams from NADRA, FBR, NAB and SBP will work roundthe clock till June 14. A software has also been developed connectingNADRA, FBR, NAB and SBP with Election Commission Secretariat through asecure system.

Under the online scrutiny process, returning officers will send particularsof the candidates to Election Commission through email or fax on dailybasis.

After completing the scrutiny process through the software, the teams ofthe Cell will return details about the candidates received from all theconcerned departments to the returning officers.