Election 2024: Whose nomination papers were accepted and rejected?

As political parties ramp up their electioneering efforts, the country came one step closer to the February 8 elections as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) culminated the scrutiny stage of the nomination papers on Saturday (today).

After receiving more than 28,000 nomination papers from candidates by the December 24 deadline, the top electoral body carried out scrutiny of the nomination papers wherein it rejected the documents filed by political bigwigs such as former prime minister Imran Khan, ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while accepting the nomination papers of other leaders.

However, those whose nomination papers got rejected can still appeal the top electoral body's decision by January 3. The appeals will be decided upon by the ECP's Appellate Tribunal by January 10, followed by subsequent publication of the revised list of candidates on January 11.

Here's a brief overview of the nomination papers which either got approved or rejected by the electoral body with regards to National Assembly and provincial assembly seats.

National Assembly

Nomination papers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif were approved from Lahore’s NA-130, whereas the party’s senior leader Khawaja Saad Rafique and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Latif Khosa’s documents were approved from NA-122.

Meanwhile, former national assembly speaker and PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq’s documents were approved from NA-117 — the same constituency where his colleague Ata Tarar and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party’s (IPP) Aleem Khan’s nomination papers were also sanctioned.

It is to be noted that PTI's Abrar Ul Haq's papers were also approved for the NA-117 constituency.

Meanwhile, in a major setback for the PTI, the ECP rejected the nomination papers of its incarcerated founder Imran Khan — from NA-122 and NA-89 — along with party's Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s nomination papers from NA-150 and NA-151.

Meanwhile, Qureshi's children Makhdoom Zain Qureshi and Meher Bano Qureshi’s nomination papers also failed to get approval from the electoral body in the same constituencies.

Qureshi and his son Zain’s papers were also rejected from Tharparkar’s NA-214.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is likely to contest from Lahore's NA-127 after the relevant RO approved his nomination papers from the said constituency.

PTI leader and former Punjab health minister Dr Yasmin Rashid’s nomination papers from NA-130 were also rejected by the ECP, whereas Ejaz Chaudhry’s nomination papers failed to secure ECP’s approval from NA-127.

The party’s nomination papers filed by PTI’s Mohammad Atif Khan (NA-22) and Naeem Haider Panjotha’s — Khan’s counsel— from NA-82, also failed to get approval from the top electoral body.

On the other hand, the ECP gave the green light to the nomination papers of PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif from NA-123 and Makhdoom Javed Hashmi from NA-149.

IPP patron-in-chief Jehangir Tareen and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Ali Musa Gilani’s documents from NA-149 and NA-151, respectively, were approved by the ECP.

Also, former PML-N leader and ex-interior minister Chaudhry Nisar — who parted ways with the Nawaz-led party a few years back — got his nomination papers approved from NA-53 where he is set to compete with his former party’s Engineer Qamar Ul Islam along with 29 other candidates whose nomination papers have been approved by the ECP.

Also, Ghulam Sarwar Khan — a former PTI leader — will contest from the said constituency after getting his documents approved by the top electoral body.

Additionally, PML-N’s Khurram Dastagir and Daniyal Aziz — along with his wife — got their nomination papers approved from NA-78 and NA-75, respectively.

The nomination papers of Nabeel Gabol, Nadir Gabol, and Sharjeel Goplani were approved from Karachi’s NA-239.

From NA-148 Multan, the RO approved the nominations of PTI’s Senator Aon Abbas Buppi, PPP leader and ex-prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani along with PML-N’s Ahmed Hussain Dehar and Sikandar Hayat Bosan.

The nomination paper of Awami National Party (ANP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) President Aimal Wali Khan was also approved from NA-25 Charsadda.

PML-N leader leader Abid Sher Ali is likely to contest polls from Faisalabad’s NA-102 after securing approval of his nomination papers.

Meanwhile, in a boost to PTI, Salman Akram Raja and former education minister Shafqat Mehmood’s nomination papers were approved from NA-128.

From NA-44, ECP rejected PTI’s Ali Amin Gandapur’s documents — a decision the politician has announced to challenge in the high court tomorrow.

Provincial assemblies

For provincial assembly seats, PTI’s Mohammad Atif Khan’s nomination papers were rejected from PP-218 and Naeem Panjotha from PP-80 — the constituency from where PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz is likely to contest the February 8 polls after approval of nomination papers.

From PP-172, ECP rejected PTI’s Hammad Azhar’s nomination papers, whereas it approved PML-N’s Rana Mashhood’s documents from the said constituency along with PTI’s Azam Niazi and Bajash Niazi.

From PP-218, PTI’s detained Vice Chairman Qureshi’s nomination papers failed to secure ECP’s approval along with his children Zain and Meher Bano — whose documents were further rejected from PP-21 as well.

Also, PTI founder Khan’s cousin Irfan Ullah Niazi’s nomination papers were rejected by the relevant RO from Bhakkar’s PP-90.