Suspension: 222 lawmakers penalised for withholding asset records
Nine federal ministers included in the Election Commission’s list.
ISLAMABAD:
In what seems to be a cosmetic action, the Election Commission of Pakistan has suspended the membership of 222 lawmakers for failing to submit details of their assets.
The suspended lawmakers represent all provincial assemblies, the National Assembly and the Senate. Among them, there are at least nine federal ministers, including Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Finance Minister Abdul Hafiz Shaikh, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Minister Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, Petroleum Minister Dr Asim Hussain, Water and Power Minister Naveed Qamar, Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Sardar Bahadur Khan Sehar and Sheikh Waqas Akram.
A total of 103 members from the National Assembly, 49 from the Punjab Assembly, 28 from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, 23 from Sindh, six from the Balochistan Assembly and 13 senators are in the list. Some of the parliamentarians are also provincial ministers.
The term ‘suspension’ is not properly defined in the Peoples Representation Act (PRA) 1976 and Senate Elections Act (SEA) 1975 under which the action has been taken against the defiant members.
The ECP has sent the names of the members to the speakers of the respective assemblies and the Senate chairman. The last date for submitting asset details was around 20 days ago.
According to the law, the suspended parliamentarians cannot take part in the proceedings of their respective legislatures. However, the ministers can continue working in their ministries and as soon as the lawmakers file the details of their assets, the ECP will restore their membership.
Under clause 42 A of PRA 1976 and clause 25 A of the SEA 1975 which were inserted in 2002, every member of the provincial and national legislature has to file the details of assets of his own and his dependents by September 30th every year. The commission under this law is bound to notify the names of those who do not submit these details by October 15, barring them from taking part in the proceedings of their respective houses.
The ECP was supposed to issue the suspension notification against the parliamentarians on October 15, but instead wrote to the speakers of the assemblies to ask their members to submit their asset details immediately. By October 15, there were around 300 members who had not filed those details. However, some of them managed to file the same last week.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 22nd, 2011.
In what seems to be a cosmetic action, the Election Commission of Pakistan has suspended the membership of 222 lawmakers for failing to submit details of their assets.
The suspended lawmakers represent all provincial assemblies, the National Assembly and the Senate. Among them, there are at least nine federal ministers, including Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Finance Minister Abdul Hafiz Shaikh, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan Affairs Minister Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, Petroleum Minister Dr Asim Hussain, Water and Power Minister Naveed Qamar, Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Sardar Bahadur Khan Sehar and Sheikh Waqas Akram.
A total of 103 members from the National Assembly, 49 from the Punjab Assembly, 28 from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, 23 from Sindh, six from the Balochistan Assembly and 13 senators are in the list. Some of the parliamentarians are also provincial ministers.
The term ‘suspension’ is not properly defined in the Peoples Representation Act (PRA) 1976 and Senate Elections Act (SEA) 1975 under which the action has been taken against the defiant members.
The ECP has sent the names of the members to the speakers of the respective assemblies and the Senate chairman. The last date for submitting asset details was around 20 days ago.
According to the law, the suspended parliamentarians cannot take part in the proceedings of their respective legislatures. However, the ministers can continue working in their ministries and as soon as the lawmakers file the details of their assets, the ECP will restore their membership.
Under clause 42 A of PRA 1976 and clause 25 A of the SEA 1975 which were inserted in 2002, every member of the provincial and national legislature has to file the details of assets of his own and his dependents by September 30th every year. The commission under this law is bound to notify the names of those who do not submit these details by October 15, barring them from taking part in the proceedings of their respective houses.
The ECP was supposed to issue the suspension notification against the parliamentarians on October 15, but instead wrote to the speakers of the assemblies to ask their members to submit their asset details immediately. By October 15, there were around 300 members who had not filed those details. However, some of them managed to file the same last week.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 22nd, 2011.