The Law Ministry is preparing for an important meeting with authorities of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in which it will convey concerns of politicians and may suggest some changes in the proposed amendments in the ECP’s rules.

A delegation headed by Law Minister Farooq H. Naek will hold the meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim on Thursday.Mr Naek told Dawn on Tuesday that his ministry was looking into the proposed amendments from constitutional point of view and not because of reservations shown by some politicians.On Feb 19 the ECP proposed some amendments in the nomination papers for contestants in the coming elections which, according to experts, would be an uneasy deal for traditional politicians if implemented.

The amendments were sent to the Law Ministry for getting final approval from President Asif Ali Zardari. However, the ministry has not forwarded the amendments to the presidency and decided to take up the issue with the ECP in Thursday’s meeting.According to a senior official of the ECP, the ministry has convened to the commission that the government had some reservations on the proposed amendments and that this was why it had not forwarded them to the presidency.

It is believed that a majority of politicians will become ineligible to contest elections if the proposed amendments are implemented.Under the proposed amendments it would be mandatory for contestants to provide details of their incomes of past three years, their income sources, taxes, foreign visits, expenditures, assets and dependents. Contestants would have to submit details of their children studying abroad and expenses incurred on their education in the past three years.

They would also be required to give details of agricultural land held by them along with the details of agricultural income and agricultural tax paid during the past three years.