ISLAMABAD: While the Elec­tion Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday announced extending polling time by an hour for the upcoming general elections, it warned the interim ministers who have not submitted details of their assets that they could be stopped from performing their duties.

The ECP has issued notices to the caretaker ministers, asking them why they should not be restrained from performing their functions for failing to comply with the mandatory legal requirement.

Although the interim prime minister, chief ministers and most members of the caretaker federal cabinet have submitted their statements of assets, defence minister retired Lt Gen Naeem Khalid Lodhi, textile minister Misbah-ur-Rahman and most provincial ministers have yet to file their statements.

Says it may suspend caretaker ministers over assets declaration issue

Under the law, caretaker ministers, chief ministers and prime minister are required to submit statements of assets and liabilities, including those of their spouses and children, depicting the position as on June 30 last, within three days after assuming responsibilities.

According to the ECP, caretaker PM retired Justice Nasirul Mulk, Punjab CM Syed Hasan Askari Rizvi, Sindh CM Fazlur Rahman, KP CM retired Justice Dost Mohammad Khan, Balochistan CM Alauddin Marri, information minister Barrister Ali Zafar, interior minister Azam Khan, finance minister Shamshad Akhtar, foreign minister Abdullah Hussain Haroon, minister for human rights Roshan Khurshid Bharucha and education minister Mohammad Yusuf Sheikh have filed their statements of assets.

However, none of the ministers from KP and Balochistan interim set-ups have filed their statements of assets, while only one member of the Sindh cabinet and two members of the caretaker Punjab cabinet have submitted their statements of assets so far.

An ECP official said that under the Elections Act, the statements to be made on a specified form would be published in official gazette.

Polling time

For the first time in the country’s history, the electorates will have 10 hours in a general election to cast their votes though earlier in some by-polls voters had been given 11 hours.

Formally announcing to extend the previously fixed polling hours by an hour to make it 8am to 6pm, the ECP said the decision was meant to facilitate the polling and ensure maximum turnout.

An ECP official told Dawn that a proposal to extend time from nine hours had been under consideration for quite some time. He said the experiment of holding by-polls after the 2013 general elections by extending polling hours from 7am till 6pm was highly successful.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2018