ECP suspends 26 lawmakers for failing to declare assets

Aside from suspended members, dozens of others have yet to declare their assets.

The Election Commission of Pakistan suspended the membership of 26 members of parliament and the provincial assembly for non-declaration of assets, Express News reported Tuesday.

According to the notification‚ those suspended include two senators‚ three members of the National Assembly‚ four members of the Punjab Assembly‚ nine members of the Sindh Assembly‚ seven members of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and one member of the Balochistan Assembly.

Aside from those members who were suspended, dozens of others have yet to declare their assets.

Federal minsters who did not declare their assets include the Minister of State Khurrum Dastagir, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab Ahmad, Rehman Malik, Mustafa Kamal and Faisal Raza Abidi.

The ECP was supposed to issue a notification on Monday to suspend membership of 40 lawmakers from the National Assembly and provincial assemblies for not submitting details of their assets and liabilities.

A weak and vague provision, that seeks the members of national parliament and provincial assemblies to declare their wealth every year, was inserted in the Representation of the People Act, 1976 in 2002. However, since its inception it has never been implemented and widely flaunted by the members of assemblies and Senate.