Legislators asked to submit statements of assets by Dec 31

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday asked all the members of the Senate, national and provincial assemblies to submit their statements of possessed assets and liabilities, including their spouses and dependents by December 31.

According to the ECP, all the parliamentarians have to submit their yearly statements of possessing capital, assets, and liabilities to the commission by December 31, pertaining details of the assets of their spouses and dependent children as on the preceding June 30 on Form-B. The Commission, on the first day of January each year, will publish the names of the members, who failed to submit the requisite statements of assets and liabilities within the period specified under sub-section (1).

The Commission, through an order, will suspend the membership of a parliamentarian of national, provincial assemblies or Senate on January 16, who fails to submit his statement of assets and liabilities.

The ECP further said any member, who would submit fake statement of assets and liabilities, under this section, in material particulars, may proceed against committing the offence of corrupt practices. The ECP said the prescribed form, along with the instructions and guidelines prepared in this regard, can be obtained free of cost from the Election Commission of Pakistan Secretariat, Islamabad, offices of provincial election commissioners of each province, Senate Secretariat, National Assembly, and secretariats of provincial assemblies. It is pertinent to mention that the Form-B can also be downloaded from the ECP’s website www.ecp.gov.pk.