NOMINATION PAPER OF ANY CANDIDATE CANNOT BE REJECTED DUE TO HIS NON-APPEARANCE BEFORE THE RETURNING OFFICER AT THE TIME OF SCRUTINY
------SECRETARY, ELECTION COMMISSION OF PAKISTAN
Islamabad, the 27th November, 2007.— Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad, Secretary, Election Commission has said that Queries are being made as under :
i) As to whether appearance of candidates before the Returning Officer concerned at the time of Scrutiny is compulsory; and
ii) At what time the symbols for the general seats as well as seats reserved for women and non-Muslims will be allocated.
2. The Secretary Election Commission has invited attention of the political parties as well as the candidates, to the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1976 and the Allocation of Symbols Order, 2002 and has clarified as under:
i) Section 14 (1) of the Representation of the People Act, 1976 provides that the candidate may attend the process of scrutiny of nomination papers in his own interest, but in case he prefers to remain absent, his nomination paper cannot be rejected due to his failure to appear before the Returning Officer concerned on the date of scrutiny.
ii) At the time of scrutiny, the candidates need not to file the certificates from their political parties showing their party affiliations. However, candidates are required to provide party certificates to the Returning Officers concerned at the time of allocation of symbols on the date of withdrawal i.e. 15-12-2007 before the Returning Officers.
iii) As regards the seats reserved for Women and non-Muslims, the Party Certificates are not required to be produced by the candidates as the Party Lists are already available with the concerned Returning Officers and no symbol is required to be allotted to any of such candidate contesting these Elections.
3. Kanwar Dilshad further clarified that the candidates who have filed nomination papers for the seats reserved for Women and non-Muslims and whose names do not appear in the priority list provided by the political parties need not appear before the Returning Officers concerned for Scrutiny of nomination papers because their nomination papers will be rejected for want of their names in the priority lists.