PTI Chairman Imran Khan. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Except for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), almost all the major political parties have submitted statements of their accounts to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), as the last date for filing such details expired on Thursday.
“A total of 45 parties have submitted details of their assets, including all mainstream parties with the exception of the PTI”, an ECP official told The Express Tribune.
“The PTI leadership, in a letter, has sought time from the ECP for filing statement of accounts,” the official said, adding that the party has said it could not consolidate assets details in time due to hectic election-related activities.
Interestingly there are over 230 political parties registered with the ECP; however, most of them are one-man show parties with no formal organisation.
“Every political party has to submit to the Election Commission, within 60 days from the close of each financial year, a consolidated statement of accounts of the party, duly audited by a Chartered Accountant,” says the Article 13 of the Political Parties Order, 2002.
The last date for filing statement of accounts falls on August 29 every year. The provision was added to the election laws during Musharraf’s military regime in an attempt to bring transparency to the electoral system.
Under the law, a political party can contest elections only if it has been filing its yearly statements of accounts regularly and has submitted a certificate that it had gone through intra-party elections.
According to Article 14, a party, which fails to submit its statement of accounts, will not be eligible to obtain election symbol for contesting elections.
After the May 11 general elections it is the first time the political parties have filed details of their assets.
ECP notifies winners of August 22 by-polls
The ECP has announced the names of the winners in the August 22 by-polls.
Except for the two National Assembly constituencies, where results have been withheld on reports that women had been barred from casting their votes, the unofficial results for the rest of the 13 NA seats have been made public.
Among the 26 provincial assembly constituencies that went for by-polls, the ECP has ordered recounting of votes in PP-150 Lahore. The results for the rest of the constituencies have been announced.
But, the official notification of the winners is issued once the candidates fulfill all legal provisions including filing details of their election expenses to the election authorities.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 30th, 2013.
COMMENTS (20)
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The nation and particularly those who voted for PTI should see this incompetency and non-compliance.
If any other party like PML-N, PPP etc have not submitted party asset details, then PTI would have slammed them in parliament, print & electronic media. Insafians would have been bashing those parties on Social Media by now. But now PTI itself has failed to file financial statement of party. So the supporters of PTI are mum now or trying to defend the failed cause.
ET has a clear bias against PTI.
News and comments show nothing is going PTI way !
PTI to much busy in cleaning havoc created by social media since post election. They don't even have there own party credentials as they couldn't able to get in time prior to elections.
@Bilal:
Deadlines exist for a reason. If they needed more time, they should have started earlier.
To ask for political parties assets by ECP is a conspiracy against PTI ............ IK (statement will be coming out soon)
PTI must be creating WHITE PAPER related to this.
We all know that PTIs "WHITE PAPER" takes time , right .....
@Bilal:
How long it takes.....15 years aren't enough? they are in politics for over 15 years now and as per law should declare assets every year !!
@Kaleem: We are not excited, we are bored with PTI. It's ECP's requirement that PTI has failed to meet.
Obviously they were the biggest spenders if we look at the media advertising. The way news media had put PTI as main contender was also dubious.
That shows how immature this party and its leaders are....this is not a surprise law that they were not ready for it, they are in politics for 15 years and yet no asset documents are available??
Didn't they submit it for last 15 years? why? contempt of law? so many questions....
100% agreed with Bilal. PTI has internal audit in place.
@ Bilal This is 21st Century, Pentium IV is being replaced by super computers on desks ? How PTI will introduce computrise system in Land Utilization Department (s) when they cant collect detail of thier limited assets ?
Hurry up PTI
PTI will also declare assets, please dont show excitement.
They are too busy striking then wanting to do anything else.
That's why IK is advised to -think before speak.Where are lofty claims of conquering world in Ninety Days.
ET, it takes time to collect the 'Accurate' numbers instead of handing over Last year report without no difference in total figures as N league always does. So hold on to it instead you get Fake numbers like other parties.
Hope you will publish this comment.