LAHORE: Tehrik-i-Minhajul Quran (TMQ) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri said on Thursday that the formation of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and discretionary funds of the parliamentarians will be challenged in the Supreme Court.

Addressing a press conference at TMQ headquarters, he said that he himself would argue on them in the apex court.

The cleric said the formation of the election commission was important than its dissolution. ECP members should be sacked as he claimed that their appointments were “unconstitutional.”

Declaring discretionary funds for the prime minister, chief ministers and parliamentarians as unconstitutional, the TMQ chief called for freezing them immediately.

Meanwhile, following one of the demands Qadri made in his ‘deal’ with the government to end his party’s long march in Islamabad, the ECP has requested the government for more time to scrutinize the electoral candidates.

Director General of ECP Sher Afgan has said that a reform package seeking more time for the scrutiny of candidates in forthcoming elections has been sent to the government for approval.

Talking to a private TV channel, he said that election would be held by the end of May, 2013, if the reform package was approved.

He said that the reform package is seeking increase in time period for the scrutiny of candidates from seven days to 30. However time for appeals would also be increased by seven to ten days, he added.

Afgan said that normally the commission needs 50 days for processing election procedure from filing nomination papers to holding polls. However, he said that 26 more days will be required to scrutinize the candidates fully.

Replying to a question, he said that the package would provide sufficient time period to the returning officers for ensuring scrutiny of the candidates by taking information from relevant institutions.