The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has drawn attention of the members of Parliament and provincial assemblies to submit their annual statements of assets and liabilities by December 31. The lawmakers are required to submit the statements including their spouses and dependent children on Form B with the ECP.
This is a mandatory requirement under section 137 of the Election Act, 2017. "Every member of Assembly and Senate shall submit to the Commission on or before December 31 each year." The ECP is bound under the law to publish each year on the first day of January names of the members who failed to submit the requisite statement of assets and liabilities within the period specified in the law.
The Election Commission has also the powers to suspend membership of the legislators who fail to submit their annual statements by the fifteenth day of January and such member shall cease to function till he/she files the statement of assets and liabilities.
If a member submits a false declaration with the ECP, he may within 120 days from the date of submission of the statement be proceeded against for committing the offence of corrupt practice. Members of the Senate, National Assembly and all four provincial assemblies are, therefore, required to submit in the ECP Secretariat yearly statements of assets and liabilities including of his spouse and dependent children as on the preceding thirtieth day of June on Form B by December 31, 2018.
The prescribed forms are available for the members free of cost at the Election Commission Secretariat and all provincial election commission offices. The ECP says that it has also sent the forms to the Senate and National Assembly Secretariats and secretariats of all four provincial assemblies to facilitate the lawmakers. The prescribed forms can also be downloaded from the ECP's official website.