Petition seeks asset details of Punjab CM, cabinet

Maintains it is mandatory for caretaker govt to submit statements to the ECP within three days of assuming office

LAHORE:

A petition filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday sought that Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his cabinet submit the details of their assets and liabilities before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

It further requested the court that to ensure transparency as well as the fundamental right to access information, the statement of assets should be published on the official website of ECP for inspection by the general public.

The petitioner’s counsel, advocate Nadeem Sarwar, contended that under the Elections Act, 2017, it was mandatory for the caretaker chief ministers as well as members of their respective cabinets to submit statements of their assets and liabilities to the ECP within three days of assuming office.

It continued that the caretaker chief minister and the cabinet were required to submit statements of their assets, and liabilities, including those of their spouses and children, depicting the position as on June 30, 2023. Under section 230 of the Elections Act, the statements to be made on a specified form would be published in the official gazette.

It continued that the ECP, caretaker chief minister and the cabinet were violating the Constitution and the law by not providing information on assets, despite being in government for over a month.

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“The acts of [the] respondents amount to halt the process of transparency and accountability”.

It alleged that the electoral watchdog was being “irresponsible” by not observing the Constitution and law, adding that access to information is a fundamental right recognised under Article 19-A.

“The basic purpose of publication of the statement of asset and liabilities is to provide information to the general public so that they have a check upon the asset of their representative and held them accountable if increased,” the petition said.

He requested the court to pass orders to the caretaker chief minister and cabinet to submit their asset details before the ECP and have the details published on the ECP’s website.

The petition further demanded that the Punjab CM explain his position over the breach of the Constitution.