Race for Pakistan's general elections heats up as nomination papers approved for over 22,000 candidates

Pakistan's election season is picking up momentum as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has approved the nomination papers of 6,449 candidates, including 355 women, for national assembly seats in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and the federal capital. This approval comes after the papers of 1,024 candidates, including those of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, were rejected by the returning officers during the scrutiny process.

In addition to the national assembly seats, the ECP also approved 16,262 nomination papers for the four provincial assemblies out of the documents submitted by 18,478 candidates. Overall, a total of 22,711 candidates for national assembly and provincial assembly seats have been approved, with 1,027 women included in the number. The scrutiny process, which began on December 25, saw some major upsets for political heavyweights, including Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

However, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) received a boost as their senior leadership, including Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Shehbaz Sharif, and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, had their nomination papers approved. Those whose nomination papers were rejected have until January 3 to appeal the decision, with the ECP's Appellate Tribunal set to make a decision by January 10. The revised list of candidates is scheduled to be published on January 11. The upcoming general elections scheduled for February 8, 2024, are expected to be closely contested, and the approval of these nomination papers sets the stage for a highly anticipated political battle in Pakistan.