ECP to verify candidates’ nomination papers from four agencies

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has developed a system to verify the nomination papers of candidates for the next general election with the help of four government agencies, sources said on Friday.

The returning officer (RO) facilitation system will allow the ECP to check the candidates’ details with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), and the State Bank of Pakistan, the sources said.

The FIA will provide information on the candidates’ dual citizenship, the FBR on their tax status, the NAB on their criminal cases, and the State Bank on their loan defaults, according to the sources.

The system will operate on intranet to prevent hacking attacks, the sources added.

The ECP has started sharing the nomination papers with the relevant agencies and expects to receive accurate information from them, as required by law, the sources said.