GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan Election Commission on Tuesday suspended membership of 25 lawmakers, including the GBLA speaker, opposition leader and six ministers, over their failure to submit statements of their assets and liabilities for the year 2017.

Only the membership of eight members, including the chief minister, of the total 33-member of GBLA, remained intact.

According to an election commission notification issued on Tuesday, noted among those whose membership was suspended included GBLA speaker Fida Mohammad Nashad, opposition leader Haji Shah Baig, senior minister Mohammad Akbar Taban, and ministers Dr Mohammad Iqbal, Mohammad Wakeel Khan, Fida Khan, Iqbal Hasan, Farman Ali, Mohammad Ibrahim Sanai, Sobia Jabeen Muqadam and Haider Khan.

Other suspended members included PML-N lawmakers Aurangazab Khan, Saleem Khan, Shereen Akhtar, Nasreen Bano, Rani Atiqa Ghazanfar, Islami Tehreek Pakistan members Rehana Ibadi, Mohammad Shafi Khan, Sikandar Ali, PPP members Javed Hussain, Imran Nadeem Shigri, PTI member Raja Jahanzeb, Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen member Bibi Saleema, and Balawaristan National Front member Nawaz Khan Naji.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, GB Election Commissioner Abid Raza said the suspended memberships of lawmakers would not be restored till filing of the statements of assets and liabilities with the election commission.

He said six standing committee chairman and one public accounts committee member were among the suspended members.

He said the election commission had sent a notice to the speaker and

GBLA Secretariat on Sept 15 to submit their asset details within one month, but the members failed to do so thus, necessitating the action under the law.

He said six members of Gilgit-Baltistan Council from GB had submitted their assets details with the election commission.

GB Election Commission has the authority to conduct scrutiny of assets and liabilities of members of both the GBLA and GB Council.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2017