ISLAMABAD: 139 parliamentarians had their membership suspended by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday for failing to turn in their yearly asset statements.
Two Balochistani senators, Abdul Quddus of the PPP and Muhammad Qasim of the BNP, are among those suspended.
The National Assembly has sixteen members, the Punjab Assembly has sixty-eight, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has thirty-three, the Sindh Assembly has fifteen, and the Balochistan Assembly has five.
The lawmakers who have been suspended are not permitted to attend the sessions of their respective legislatures. They will remain suspended until they submit their annual disclosures of assets as required by law. The list of suspended MNAs also includes the name of Sardar Akhtar Mengal, who resigned months ago.
Among the well-known MPs suspended are Ali Qasim Gilani, son of Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani; Tariq Bashir Chaudhry, a former federal minister and leader of the PML-Q; Chaudhry Farrukh Altaf; retired Maj Tahir Iqbal; Mehboob Sultan; Mudassir Sehar Kamran; and Miqdad Ali Khan. The Elections Act of 2017’s Section 137 addresses the following filing of a statement of assets and liabilities:
action brought about by their refusal to provide yearly asset statements
(1) Each member of an Assembly or Senate is required to provide the Commission with a copy of his or her statement of assets and liabilities, including the assets and liabilities of their spouse and dependent children as of the previous thirtieth day of June, on Form B by December 31st of each year.
(2) The names of members who did not submit the required statement of assets and liabilities within the time frame given in subsection (1) will be made public by the Commission through a press release on the first day of January every year.
(3) If an Assembly or Senate member does not submit the statement of assets and liabilities by the fifteenth day of January, the Commission will suspend the member’s membership by order on the sixteenth day of January, and the member will stop functioning until the statement is filed.
“(4) A Member may be prosecuted for engaging in corrupt practices within 120 days of submitting the statement of assets and liabilities under this section if it is discovered that the statement contains materially misleading information.
Up to 518 parliamentarians and four provincial assemblies had not submitted their asset disclosures by the legally mandated deadline of December 31. However, the notice of suspension is given on January 16 because the new law allows for a 15-day grace period.
Abdul Majeed Badini, PB-16, Jaffarabad; Dr. Malik Baloch, PB-26, Kech-II; Zafarullah Khan Zehri, PB-35, Surab; Ubaidullah Gorgage, PB-44, Quetta-VII; and Safia, who was elected on a reserved seat for women, are the five suspended members of the Balochistan Assembly.
