Transparency: ECP asked to put back asset details of MPs on website

Electoral reforms panel chides the commission for hiding declarations.

ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on Electoral Reforms (PCER) chastised Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) over its decision of removing details of assets of lawmakers from its website.

ECP, in a surprise move, had removed asset statements of lawmakers from its website, claiming it was not a legal requirement. “The meeting took note of the matter regarding removal of parliamentarians' assets details from the ECP website,” said a press statement issued by PCER after its in-camera meeting.

According to the statement, the ECP secretary informed the committee that the commission had observed that posting of such details was not required by law.

The members of the committee unanimously recommended to the ECP that in the interest of transparency the asset details of the parliamentarians be posted back on the website at the earliest, the statement said. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who heads the committee, chaired the meeting.

Reforms report

Another sub-committee, headed by Zahid Hamid, which was tasked to vet over 1,200 proposals of different stakeholders to reform the election system, presented its report to the PCER.

Hamid told the committee that after 55 meetings, his sub-panel has finalized draft of the unified electoral law as well as the related rules. These were currently under final review before tabling before parliament for a final approval.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th,  2016.