Reuters
[Source: Reuters]
Pakistan pushed back by two days a Friday deadline for candidates to file nomination papers for a national election, the election commission said, allowing extra time for former prime ministers Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif to enter the race.
“The deadline for submission of nomination papers has been extended by two days to facilitate political parties and candidates,” the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said in a statement.
The ECP said the rest of the schedule, leading to voting on Feb. 8 for members of provincial and national legislatures, would remain unchanged.
Khan, 71, filed nomination papers for the election on Friday, Intezar Hussain Panjotha, a member of Khan’s legal team, told Reuters.
The former cricket star filed papers to contest a national assembly seat from his hometown Mianwali and plans to file again for a seat from Lahore on Saturday, added Panjotha.
Khan, who is in jail facing charges ranging from corruption to leaking state secrets, signed his nomination papers in Adiala Jail on Thursday, local broadcaster Geo said.
Khan and Sharif had said they would submit their nominations despite a ban on their participation due to court convictions. Both are awaiting relief from higher courts that would allow them to participate.
Khan’s chances of running were dealt a blow when a court on Thursday rejected a plea to suspend a conviction on charges of unlawfully selling state gifts during his 2018-2022 tenure as prime minister. His lawyers have challenged the decision in the Supreme Court.
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