Daily Times

The scrutiny process for nomination papers for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections has commenced, with 371 seats available, including 297 general seats, 66 reserved for women, and 8 for minorities, up for grabs.

The scrutiny process is crucial in ensuring that only eligible candidates make it to the ballot.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has set up an online Scrutiny Cell, equipped with special software that links various government agencies such as the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), National Accountability Bureau (NAB), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), PTCL, Wapda and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) with the Election Commission Secretariat.

The Cell, tasked to work round the clock, was also equipped with fax, telephone, and internet facilities with the Election Commission Secretariat, with the aim of providing the Returning Officers with a comprehensive and transparent scrutiny process.

The Returning Officers will scrutinize the nomination papers for general seats at their offices, while the election commissioner Punjab has been appointed as the RO for reserved seats of women and minorities. The ROs have been provided with necessary proforma and Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) to carry out their duties effectively.

With the scrutiny process scheduled to be completed by March 22, the stage is set for the highly anticipated Punjab Assembly elections on April 30.

The fair and transparent scrutiny process is crucial to maintaining the integrity of the electoral process and ensuring that only eligible candidates make it to the assembly.