The Election Commission of Pakistan has published the schedule for the upcoming general elections in the country, maintaining February 8 as the day for polls.
The schedule, which was issued late on Friday following a directive from the Supreme Court earlier in the day to publish the schedule the same day while overturning an order from a single-member bench of the Lahore High Court which barred the apex poll body from appointing judicial officers as returning officers and district returning officers, effectively putting the pre-announced date for elections in jeopardy.
According to the schedule published by the ECP on Friday, returning officers will issue a public notice for elections on December 19.
The ECP will accept nomination papers of contesting candidates from December 20 to 22. The initial list of candidates will be published on December 23.
The returning officer will scrutinise these nomination papers from December 24 to 30.
January 3 would be the last date to appeal the decisions of the returning officer over accepting or rejecting the nomination papers of any candidates before an appellate tribunal.
The tribunals will have until January 10 to decide these appeals.
A revised list of candidates will be published on January 11, while the final list of candidates will be published on January 12 after the withdrawal of candidates.
On January 13, the ECP will allot election symbols to contesting candidates and parties.
As mentioned earlier, elections will be held on February 8.
The notice said that the election programme will also apply to the reserved seats for women and non-Muslim minorities in the national as well as the four provincial assemblies of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh. Parties can file their priority lists for reserved seats for women and minorities with the returning officers by December 22.
Earlier on November 3, the ECP had announced February 8 as the date for general elections. The date came after the Supreme Court directed the ECP to complete consultations with President Dr Arif Alvi and give a final date for elections.