Pakistani candidates are scrambling to file for the election

Sunday was the cutoff date for filing candidacies for Pakistan‘s 2024 general elections. Many well-known politicians have already filed to compete in the election scheduled for February 8. Nevertheless, several of them sent in their papers on schedule.

The three-time prime minister’s nomination documents were taken out of NA-130 Lahore. The former prime minister has submitted his nomination papers for the NA-132 seat in Kasur and the NA-242 seat in Karachi. Shahbaz Sharif, his younger brother, has also submitted.

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader, Bilal Bhutto Zardari, has submitted his candidacy papers to run for NA-128 Lahore in the next elections. Maryam Nawaz, the daughter of Nawaz Sharif, has filed her nomination papers for both the NA-119 and NA-120 seats, while Alam Khan of the Ittehad-e-Pakistan party has filed his for the NA-119 seat in Lahore.

Only Friday was the deadline for nominations. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has extended the deadline for submitting nomination papers for the upcoming general elections to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

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In addition, PTI members have occasionally been imprisoned for neglecting to submit their nomination paperwork. Imran Khan, the leader of the PTI, has also submitted his candidacy paperwork. Imran Khan has submitted his nomination documents for Mianwali and NA-122.

In a statement released to the public on Saturday, the ECP stated, “In accordance with the schedule, the scrutiny of nomination papers will be done from tomorrow until the 30th of this month.”

Reviews end on January 3 and might be critical or supportive of the nominees. The deadline for making decisions is January 10.

Candidates can examine their list on January 11 and withdraw their applications until January 12, according to the ECP. On January 13, the electoral regulator will choose the insignias for every candidate.

February 8 is when the general election is set to take place.

According to the watchdog, the ECP has extended the time frame under which foreign observers can apply to oversee the voting. They can submit their applications until January 20 and then again until December 31.