GBEC suspends memberships of 25 lawmakers

Speaker, nine ministers among those who were suspended for not filing their financial statements

GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission (GBEC) has suspended the membership of 25 lawmakers including the G-B Legislative Assembly (GBLA) speaker and nine ministers after they failed to submit statement of financial details and assets within a month deadline set by the commission

The membership of GBLA speaker, nine ministers, leader of opposition, six chairmen of standing committees and the chairman public accounts committee were also suspended and they would be unable to exercise their powers and functions until restoration of their membership by GBEC.

The commission will restore their memberships after they submit statement of their financial details.

G-B Election Commissioner Abid Raza told a press conference that contempt of court proceeding would be initiated in case the suspended lawmakers used their powers before restoration.

Under the Representation of People Act, he said, speaker and secretary GBLA were informed through a letter dated September 15, 2017 with direction that all the members should submit statement of their financial assets within a month.

However, after expiry of the deadline, the commission suspended 25 members.

Raza said the suspended lawmakers could not exercise their powers and functions until their membership was restored by the ECGB. He said a notification in this connection has been issued.

“If the suspended lawmakers have used their powers it would be considered unlawful and illegal and ECGB can initiate contempt of court proceedings against them,” he maintained.

To a question, he said the GBEC would re-issue the reinstatement notification of all the suspended lawmakers after they submit statement of their financial details.

G-B CM Hafeezur Rehman, Deputy Speaker Jaffarullah Khan, ministers Janbaz Khan and Muhammad Shafiq, MLA Rizwan Ali, Imtaiz Haider, Ghulam Hussain and Maj (retd) Muhammad Amin have submitted statement of their financial assets, he informed.

Whereas Speaker Fida Muhammad Nashad, Provincial Ministers Dr Muhammad Iqbal, Farman Ali, Haider Khan, Muhammad Imran Wakeel, Fida Muhammad Khan, Ibrahim Sani, Iqbal Hassan, Sobia Muqadam, opposition leader Shah Baig, chairman PAC Sikandar Ali, senior minister Akbar Taban, Parliamentary Secretary Aurangzaib Advocate, MLAs Javed Hussain, Mir Saleem Khan, Imran Nadeem, Nawaz Khan Naji, Raja Jehanzaib, Capt (retd) Shafi Khan, women members Sher Akhtar, Nasreen Bano, Rani Atiqa Ghazanfar, Bibi Saleema and Rehana Abbasi have failed to submit statement of financial details and their membership was placed under suspension, he informed.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2017.