QUETTA: The Balochistan Election Commission has accepted nomination papers provisionally subject to submission of details about their income tax, bachelor’s degree and assets by the candidates.

Official sources in the provincial election commission told Dawn on Wednesday that the decision about acceptance or rejection of nomination papers would remain pending till April 7. “The Election Commission of Pakistan has made it mandatory for the candidates to submit details about his/her assets, educational documents and proof of income tax payment to get the nomination papers accepted.”

The sources said returning officers had accepted nomination forms as correct, but bound “the candidates to provide details about their assets, source of income, income tax payment, dual nationality status and educational documents to the ECP by April 7,” said Balochistan EC spokesman Mohammad Yousuf.

Nomination papers of former federal minister Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind were rejected because a case for holding a fake degree was pending against him and his son, Mir Sardar Khan Rind, because an anti-terrorist court in Sibi has been hearing cases against him.

Nomination papers of former federal minister Mir Hamayun Aziz Kurd were rejected after he was sent to prison after his conviction by a court in a fake degree case.

Prominent among those whose nomination forms have been accepted are Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal, the chief of his own faction of the Balochistan National Party; Mohammad Aslam Bhootani, former speaker of the Balochistan Assembly; Sardar Mohammad Saleh Bhootani, a former caretaker chief minister; Nawabzada Khalid Khan Magsi, a former federal minister; Mir Changez Jamali; PML-N leader Nawabzada Jangez Marri; Shahzain Bugti of the Jamhoori Watan Party; Salim Khosa, a former provincial minister; Sardar Kamal Bangulzai of the National Party; Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal; Mir Changez Jamali, a former federal minister; Mir Salim Khosa, a former provincial minister; and Bashir Ahmed Mandai of the Jamaat-i-Islami.

Meanwhile, the Higher Education Commission has sent the names of former parliamentarians Mohammad Mohsin Ali Qureshi, Agha Irfan Karim, Abdul Khaliq, Mohammad Rahim, Samina Razique, Sabina Rauf and Amjad Khan Afridi to the University of Balochistan to get their educational documents verified.

The university administration has asked them to submit copies of their graduation degrees and intermediate and matriculation certificates along with a copy of the computerised national identity card to the Controller, Registrar Office, University of Balochistan, by April 4.