Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan’s Election Commission (ECP) on Friday suspended the memberships of 152 legislators from the National Assembly, Senate, and provincial assemblies for failing to submit statements of assets and liabilities by the mandated deadline.
Pakistan Lawmakers Suspended for Asset Declaration Failures
The ECP directed that the suspended members “shall cease to function as members with immediate effect until such statements are submitted,” according to a statement reported by Dawn.
The commission had issued a reminder on Thursday, requesting lawmakers to submit details of assets and liabilities for the financial year 2024-25, including those of their spouse and dependent children. It warned that non-compliance by January 15 would result in suspension.
Among those suspended from the National Assembly are Syed Ali Musa Gilani, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, and Muhammad Akhtar Mengal. Musadik Malik is among nine senators whose memberships were also suspended.
The suspension list includes 50 members of the Punjab Assembly, 33 from the Sindh Assembly, 28 from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, and seven from the Balochistan Assembly.
Saeed Ghani and Hafiz Naeemur Rehman are among the lawmakers from the Sindh Assembly who did not submit the required details.
The ECP stated that submitting the statements is a mandatory requirement under Section 137 of the Elections Act, 2017.
Section 137 (1) of the Elections Act, 2017 states that “every member of an assembly and senate shall submit to the Commission, on or before Dec 31 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.”
Last year, the ECP suspended the membership of 139 lawmakers for failing to submit their annual asset statements.
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