ISLAMABAD: The electoral body, Wednesday, warned that the legislative memberships of the lawmakers who did not submit their annual wealth statements of the previous fiscal year would be suspended after a fortnight, as 628 legislators including parliamentarians and provincial assemblies’ members failed to share their yearly statements of assets and liabilities with the ECP.
Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani, Chief Minister Balochistan Sarfraz Bugti, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Moulana Fazl-ur-Rahman, federal Privatisation Minister Aleem Khan, federal Information Minister Atta Tarar, Punjab’s Senior Planning Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Punjab’s Information Minister Azma Bukhari, Sindh’s Health Minister Azra Fazal Pechuho, Sindh’s Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, among others, are some of the lawmakers who did not submit their wealth statements, according to the data issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Off all the 628 lawmakers, 116 belong to National Assembly, 23 to Senate, 208 to Punjab Assembly, 165 to Sindh Assembly, 91 to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, and 25 legislators belong to Balochistan Assembly.
In a statement, the ECP announced that the legislative memberships of lawmakers who fail to submit their statements of assets and liabilities of the previous financial year (2023-24), by 15 January, will be suspended on 16 January.
The legislators are bound to submit their yearly statements of assets and liabilities, and those of their spouses and dependent children, as on each year’s 30 June, not later than 31 December, a mandatory requirement under Section 137(1) of Elections Act, 2017.
This section reads, “Submission of statement of assets and liabilities - Every member of an assembly and Senate shall submit to the Commission, on or before 31st December each year, a copy of his statement of assets and liabilities including assets and liabilities of his spouse and dependent children as on the preceding thirtieth day of June on Form B.””
On January 1 each year, the ECP publishes the names of legislators who do not share the required wealth statements.
Section 137(2) reads, “The Commission, on the first day of January each year through a press release, shall publish the names of members who failed to submit the requisite statement of assets and liabilities within the period specified under sub-section (1).”
On January 16, the legislative memberships of those legislators who do not submit the wealth statements to ECP by 15 January are suspended under Section 137(3).
“The Commission shall, on the sixteenth day of January, by an order suspend the membership of a member of an assembly and Senate who fails to submit the statement of assets and liabilities by the fifteenth day of January and such member shall cease to function till he files the statement of assets and liabilities,” this law reads.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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