The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will suspend the memberships of 206 lawmakers today (Monday), including members of the Senate, National and provincial assemblies, for failing to submit details regarding their assets.
“According to the rules, ECP will issue the notifications (of suspension) on October 15,” an official told The Express Tribune.
The list of lawmakers to be suspended comprise 46 MNAs,109 Punjab Assembly members, 18 Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly members, 19 Sindh Assembly members, five Balochistan Assembly members and 9 senators.
Those who would cease to function as lawmakers on October 15 include Interior Minister Rehman Malik, National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, Kashmir Affairs Minister Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, (sons of former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani) Abdul Qadir and Ali Musa, Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar, Abid Sher Ali, Maulana Attaur Rehman, Kashmala Tariq and Sardar Awais Ahmed Leghari.
The term ‘suspension’ is not properly defined in the Peoples Representation Act (PRA) 1976 and the Senate Elections Act (SEA) 1975 under which the action has been taken against the defiant members.
“Suspended members cannot attend proceedings of their respective house (Senate, NA or provincial assembly) and cannot vote for any legislative process,” the official explained. He added, however, that such lawmakers often ignore their suspensions and attend proceedings anyway.
As NA Deputy Speaker Kundi will cease to function Monday onwards, it will be interesting to witness NA proceedings in the evening. Kundi has been chairing the proceedings since the lower house’s 46th session started.
Under clause 42A of PRA 1976 and clause 25A of the SEA 1975 which were inserted in 2002, every member of the provincial and national legislature has to file details of his and his dependants’ assets by September 30 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 memberships of 222 lawmakers were suspended last year over the same reason. At that time, however, ECP asked the respective assemblies’ speakers to ask their members to submit their details immediately, rather than issuing suspension notifications against them by October 15 that year.
It should be mentioned that out of a total of 1,174 seats in the parliament and provincial assemblies, nine seats are currently vacant.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 15th, 2012.
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