ISLAMABAD: As part of an annual exercise, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has asked lawmakers to submit their statements of assets for the financial year ending on June 30.

The ECP on Thursday issued a statement reminding federal and provincial lawmakers to meet the legal obligation of filing their yearly statements of assets and liabilities, as well as of their spouses and dependents, by Dec 31.

The last date for submission of these statements of assets under Section 42A of the Representation of the People’s Act, 1976, and Section 25A of the Senate (Elections) Act, 1975, was Sept 30, but a change was brought through the Elections Act, 2017, to make it Dec 31.

Section 137 (1) of the Elections Act reads: “Every member of an Assembly and Senate shall submit to the Commission, on or before Dec 31 each year, a copy of his statement of assets and liabilities, including assets and liabilities of his spouse and dependent children as on the preceding 30th day of June on Form B.”

Under the following sub-sections, the commission on the first day of January each year is to publish the names of members who failed to submit the requisite statements of assets and liabilities within the specified period and on Jan 16 by an order suspend the membership of a member of an assembly and Senate who fails to submit the statement of assets and liabilities by Jan 15 and such a member shall cease to function till he files the statement.

Section 137 (4) reads: “Where a Member submits the statement of assets and liabilities under this section which is found to be false in material particulars, he may, within 120 from the date submission of the statement, be proceeded against for committing the offence of corrupt practice.”

The ECP had announced a plan to scrutinise statements of assets and liabilities of lawmakers in December 2016, and the process had also commenced, but the plan was shelved halfway.

A decision to do the same had also been taken in April last year and various lawmakers including PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had been asked to explain discrepancies in their statements, but nothing concrete has come forth so far.

Discrepancies are apparent in statements of many a legislator, some of whom managed to amend even the cost of their assets. Many have never bothered to file details of the assets belonging to their spouses and children.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2020