Declaring assets: ECP dragging its feet on suspension of MPs

Official says polls body will issue notification today.

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seems to be deliberately shying away from exercising its authority and suspending lawmakers who failed to submit details of their assets. The poll body, despite the passage of six days, deferred the matter for another 24 hours on Monday.

The ECP was supposed to issue a notification on Monday to suspend membership of 40 lawmakers from the National Assembly and provincial assemblies for not submitting details of their assets and liabilities.

“The officials [secretary and additional secretary] were busy at the Supreme Court in connection with the hearing of a case related to local government elections,” a senior official told The Express Tribune in response to a query on delay in issuance of notification.

He further said that it [issuance of notification] was an elaborate process as permission had to be sought from members, along with several other legal formalities which had to be fulfilled.

“As senior officials remained busy in SC throughout the day, they could not take up this matter,” he said, adding “the notification will definitely be issued on Tuesday.”

However, the ECP has never verified any statements of assets submitted by the legislators. The number of legislators who are yet to submit their details has come down to 40 as 31 members of the National and Provincial assemblies submitted their declarations with the commission on Monday.

Pakistan Peoples Party senators Rehman Malik, Faisal Raza Abidi and Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Senator Syed Mustafa Kamal
are among those who have not submitted their statements yet.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2013.