ECP suspends Asad Umar, Khawaja Asif, Khalid Maqbool, others’ parliamentary membership

Membership of 271 members of the National Assembly, Senate and provincial assemblies was suspended by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday for failing to submit details of their financial statements.

Among those suspended members 136 belong to parliament's Lower House and 21 from the Upper House.

Moreover, the ECP also suspended the membership of provincial assembly members including 48, 12 and 54 from Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa respectively.

It should be noted that every member of an assembly and senate is liable to submit relevant details of their assets and liabilities to the election commission before December 31 every year. The members must also disclose the financial statements of their spouse and dependent children on Form-B every year on June 30.

If the members fail to submit relevant details, their membership will be suspended as a result until they file their statement to the commission. Following the suspension, members won't be able to participate in meetings, in addition to partaking in legislation including the vote of confidence.

"In pursuance of sub-section (3) of Section 137 ibid and in the exercise of all other powers enabling it on that behalf, the Election Commission is pleased to notify hereunder, for information of the general public, the names of members of the Senate who have failed to file their statement of assets and liabilities including assets and liabilities," the ECP notification read.

Prominent senators who have had their membership suspended include Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Sania Nishtar, Azam Swati, Aon Abbas, and Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur; Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Kamran Michael; and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) senators Taj Haider and Syed Waqar Mehdi, among others.

Suspended members of the Lower House include Chairman Public Accounts Committee Noor Alam Khan, PTI’s Asad Umar, Murad Saeed Omar Ayub Khan, Asad Qaiser, Shehryar Afridi, Ali Amin Gandapur, Noor Ul Haq Qadri, Zartaj Gul, Andleeb Abbas, Maleeka Bokhari, Alamgir Khan, Ali Zaidi and Abdul Shakoor Shad. Fehmida Mirza of the Grand Democratic Alliance has also faced suspension of her membership.

The list also includes names of PTI’s dissident member Raja Riaz Ahmad. Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) members Ali Musa Gilani, Naveed Qamar, Shahid Rehmani and PML-Quaid member Tariq Bashir Cheema’s membership has also been suspended, alongside Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's Khawaja Asif, Ahsan Iqbal and Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha among others.

Membership of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s Convener Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui has also been suspended.