The Election Commission of Pakistan started on Monday scrutiny of nomination papers filed by more than 23,000 candidates for national and provincial assemblies’ seats.

For this purpose, the polls overseer has set up the Online Facilitation Centre. The Federal Investigation Agency, the Federal Board of Revenue, and the State Bank of Pakistan are assisting the ECP in the next phase of the poll preparation.

The centre was working 24 hours, the ECP said and added that the information received by the returning officers was being sent to such institutions.

It added that secretaries of Power Division, Petroleum Division, National Telecommunication Division, Housing and Works Division, four chief secretaries, and the Capital Development Authority chairman were also written that such institutions should get the list of candidates from the returning officers.

According to the ECP, nomination papers of government defaulters would be rejected.

Sources said that it was expected that the papers of those suspects who have been hiding from the law could be rejected, which could also be applied to the PTI leaders “hiding” after the events of May 9.

On Saturday, PML-N Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz submitted her nomination papers from NA 120 Lahore while nomination papers of Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Javed Hashmi were submitted from Multan.

PML-Zia chief Ijazul Haq submitted his nomination papers from Bahawalnagar while Usman Dar’s mother Rehana Imtiaz Dar submitted her nomination papers from NA-71 where she would be against PML-N leader 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.