ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) warned 70 lawmakers, including a minister, that their membership would be suspended by Friday as they had failed to submit their statement of assets and liabilities to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on the last working day.
The non-filers of assets had been barred from working after the religious festival.Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak was among the last few whose statement of assets and liabilities were filed here on Monday, a senior ECP official told The News.
A total of 1,099 legislatures submitted the details of their assets and liabilities with the ECP while five seats are vacant.There are four senators, 18 MNAs, nine members of Punjab Assembly, 11 of Sindh Assembly, 22 of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly and six members of the Balochistan Assembly, who failed to do the needful.
Though October 15 is the day when the ECP issues a notification, there will be a closed holiday on the day on account of Eidul Azha.He said that Minister of State for Privatisation Khurram Dastgir was among those who could not submit the related documents and now would be notified as suspended and hence would be unable to discharge his official work till the legal requirement was met.
The lawmakers from the Senate, National Assembly and four provincial assemblies are bound to share details of their fortunes and those of their dependents as well as liabilities if any every year with the electoral body that are then published in an official gazette and shared with the media and could be obtained by public as well.
Ritually, September 30 is the deadline for legislators to file their documents. However, the Representation of the People Act is silent about 15 days, as the non-filers are notified and barred from work on October 15.
During these days, majority of lawmakers usually submit assets details. Even after they are barred from work through a notification, on submitting the documents, same day or next, day suspension ends and they can resume their work as lawmakers. Needless to say, the law is considerably lenient if not toothless.Among other non-filers are former interior minister Rehman Malik, Asad Omar, Azam Hoti, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuhu and Syed Mustafa Kamal.
