Islamabad, Mar 13 (IANS): Pakistan's election commission has "finally shown some teeth" after politicians did everything in their power to thwart its ambitions, said a Pakistani daily Wednesday.

The election commission has "finally shown some teeth and appears willing to use them", said an editorial in the News International.

"After receiving no presidential approval for the nomination forms for candidates contesting the 2013 polls, it has ordered that the forms be printed anyway."

Constitutional experts hold that the election commission is fully entitled to act the way it has, and that presidential approval is at any rate only a formality.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court - through an order - also extended full support to the election commission which had sent in the forms to the law ministry, following the usual procedure, early in February.

"It must be noted that a range of sitting (but perhaps not for much longer) politicians have done everything in their power to thwart the ambitions" of the election commission, said the daily.

"They have resisted scrutiny of their assets, their criminal and tax records and, most tellingly of all, their academic records. Many of those now in seats of power have reached there by dint of sustained falsehood. They have deceived and prevaricated, and on occasion been found to have told blatant lies in answer to a range of perfectly legitimate questions," it added.

The daily described it as encouraging that the election commission appears to be resisting those who might use power and privilege to evade the law.