Called to account: Parties to submit financial records

ECP asks all registered political parties to submit details of their accounts and assets for last financial year.

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has asked all registered political parties to submit details of their accounts and assets for the last financial year. In a statement issued on Friday, the ECP noted, “In terms of Article 13 of the Political Parties Order, 2002, (parties) have to file with the Election Commission their statement of accounts for the financial year 2013-2014 on or before 29th August, 2014.”

Every year, the ECP seeks details from political parties about their annual income, source of funding and details of assets. The practice, started in 2002, has never been more than a formality as the ECP has never verified details submitted by political parties and there is no mechanism within the ECP to cross-check details.

Article 13 of the Political Parties Order, 2002, ascribes that every political party should submit their financial records to the Election Commission within sixty days of the close of each financial year. The records must include a consolidated statement of accounts audited by a chartered accountant. The party’s leader must also submit a certificate stating that the party has not received any funds through prohibited means.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2014.