The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday said the schedule of general election 2013 would be announced after 10 days. “A consensus has been reached between five state institutions that no tax defaulter, defaulters of public utilities or those convicted under corruption case can take part in the general election,” said ECP Secretary Ishtiak Ahmed while talking to reporters after a high-level meeting. The meeting was presided over by Chief Election Commission Fakhruddin G Ebrahim and attended by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Admiral (r) Fasih Bokhari, State Bank Governor Yasin Anwar, Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Chairman Ali Arshad Hakeem and NADRA chief Tariq Malik. The secretary said a cell of SBP, FBR, NADRA and NAB representatives had been established in the ECP to ensure thorough scrutiny of the candidates. He said a majority of the country wanted implementation of Articles 62 and 63 for holding free, fair and transparent elections. The secretary said the election process was already underway and the commission had notified the names of returning and assistant district returning officers and was receiving applications from the political parties for allotment of the symbols. To a question, the ECP secretary said the nomination paper draft had been sent to the Law Ministry after making a few changes. To a question about regularisation of employees in Punjab, he said the matter would be reviewed in accordance with the law. Meanwhile, a senior ECP official said there was a consensus among the participants of the meeting that it was the responsibility of the ECP and other state institutions that no tax defaulter, defaulters of public utilities or people convicted under corruption case could take part in the general elections.
