ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday moved to suspend membership of 272 lawmakers over their failure to submit details of their assets.
The ECP has sent lists of the members to the respective speakers of the houses, asking them to stop the listed members from working.
The ECP also issued notices to 272 suspended lawmakers.
The parliamentarians suspended by ECP include 62 members of the Lower House of Parliament, while 13 suspended members belong to the Senate.
The biggest provincial assembly of the country in terms of seats, Punjab Assembly, also leads in the number of MPAs who have yet to disclose their assets with 123 MPAs listed.
In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), 39 members of assembly have not disclosed their assets so far.
Of the Sindh and Balochistan assembly, the ECP has listed 26 and 9 members respectively who have yet to submit their assets.
Those who have not submitted details of their assets include Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Yusuf, State minister Ameenul Hasanat, ruling PML-N’s Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, PPP senior leader Ameen Faheem, Fahmida Mirza, MQM’s Rasheed Godil are also among those who have not declared their assets.
Under the law, parliamentarians are required to submit details of their assets, that of their spouse and children, to the ECP by September 30.
Introduced in 2002 by the then military ruler General Pervez Musharraf the law is flouted by politicians at will.
According to the Representation of the People Act, 1976, section 42A states; “Every member shall, on a form prescribed under clause (f) of sub-section (2) of Section 12, submit a Statements of Assets & Liabilities of his own, his spouse and dependents annually to the Commission by the thirtieth day of September each year.