Pakistan

Over 450 lawmakers fail to submit asset details

Loopholes in the law restrain ECP from taking action against defiant lawmakers; proposed amendments await approval

Irfan Ghauri October 03, 2015

A file photo of the National Assembly of Pakistan. PHOTO: APP

ISLAMABAD: As the deadline to submit mandatory asset details ended on September 30, about 450 lawmakers continue to enjoy the 15-day grace period as per law, barring the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from suspending their membership.

Of the 1,174 lawmakers, 701 submitted statements of their properties and accounts by October 2, two days after the deadline expired. These include 222 MNAs, 74 senators, 193 members of Punjab Assembly, 121 of Sindh, 53 of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and 38 members of the Balochistan Assembly.

It is a mandatory exercise under the law that all members of the Senate, National Assembly and four provincial assemblies submit details of all properties owned in the last year by them, their spouses and dependent children by September 30 every year.

Section 42A of the Representation of the People Act, 1976, and Section 25A of the Senate (Elections) Act, 1975 – enacted in 2002 is flouted by lawmakers since it does not provide any punitive action against those disregarding it.

Read: Flouting laws: 958 lawmakers yet to submit asset details

The law also provides undue convenience to the lawmakers as their membership is immediately restored once they provide the asset details.

Moreover, the lawmakers are supposed to submit the details of their movable and immovable assets certified by registered accountancy firms, but they only provide random information, undervaluing the assets with impunity.

The ECP also does not have any mechanism to verify the statements, merely publishing them in the form of a booklet for each house.

Read: ECP orders political parties to submit asset details

According to an official of the ECP Law Wing, they had proposed amendments in the law during the PPP’s tenure, calling for immediate and three to four-month suspension of the members.

The commission had proposed formation of a special finance wing comprising officials of the ECP, FBR, Nadra to verify the genuineness of the statements, he said, adding Parliament is yet to act on the proposals.

COMMENTS (2)

syed & syed | 9 years ago | Reply Why call them law makers. Most of them are a bunch of people involved in unlawful activities. They are not declaring their assets because there is some thing to hide. Assets of lawmakers be put on website and circulated in news papers. Any one who detects un declared asset be given to the informer as a reward.

Naeem Khan | 9 years ago | Reply . How could you expect any one to abide by the laws of the country when these so called law makers become law breakers themselves. In any other civilized country if they don't abide by the laws of the land, they will be cooling their heels in the jail but not in Pakistan. This is not the only law they violate, almost all of them think that they are above the law. Therefore it is so important that we reform the whole political system and curtail the MNAs and MPAs tenure to 2 years instead of 5 years. .Senators should be restricted to 4 years term. President and Senators should be elected directly by the people. These kind of reforms will culminate into good governance and accountability. If they don't abide by the laws then throw them out.

Replying to X