The deadline for submission of nomination papers to contest in general elections, which are scheduled to take place on February 8, ended on Sunday.

Earlier this week, the Election Commission of Pakistan extended the deadline to submit nomination papers by two days after a demand by some political parties. In a statement, the ECP said that political parties should also submit the forms to the relevant returning officers for specific seats.

The upcoming elected government would have a host of challenges to tackle as the country needed to boost the economy and improve the law and order situation.

Sources said that PML-N Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz filed her papers from NA-120 in Lahore while Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Javed Hashmi submitted their papers from Multan. Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party’s Patron in Chief Jahangir Tareen would also contest elections from Multan. He is expected to contest polls from NA 149.

PML-Z’s leader Ijazul Haq filed his papers from Bahawalnagar and Usman Dar’s mother Rehana Imtiaz Dar submitted her papers from NA 71 where she would be contesting against PML-N’s Khawaja Asif.

Meanwhile, former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Mahmood Khan would contest elections from Swat.

PML-N’s Shehbaz Sharif, MQM’s Mustafa Kamal, and PPP’s Qadir Mandokhail would be up against each other in Karachi’s NA 242.

A MQM spokesperson has denied reports of seat adjustment on NA 242, amid the party’s meetings with the PML-N leaders.

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The list of candidates would be released on December 24. Returning officers would check the documents for invalidity from December 25 to 30. Appeals against the ROs decision could be filed on January 3.

On Saturday, the polls overseer announced that it would hear objections against the delimitations of constituencies after the result of the election 2024.

“If at this stage the petitions are fixed for hearing it will adversely affect the election programme and the last date for filing of nomination papers,” the commission said in its order.