The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday suspended the membership of 336 members of the two houses of the parliament and four provincial assemblies for not submitting statements of their assets and liabilities and those of their spouses and dependents to the commission.
A statement issued by the ECP said: “Sub-section (1) of Section 25A of the Senate (Election) Act, 1975 provides that every member of the Senate shall submit a statement of assets and liabilities of his/her own, spouse and dependents annually to the commission by the thirtieth day of September each year.
“Sub-section (3) of Section 25A ibid further provides that the commission shall, by the fifteenth day of October each year, notify the names of the members who fail to file statements of assets and liabilities within the period specified in sub-section (1) thereof and by an order, direct that such member shall cease to function till such statement is submitted.”
The parliamentarians suspended by the commission include 22 members of the Senate, 66 members of the National Assembly, 137 members of Punjab Assembly, 49 each of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies and 13 of the Balochistan assembly.
Meanwhile, the offices of ECP including Election Commission Secretariat and all the four provincial assemblies remained open on Saturday till 4:00 PM to receive annual statements of the parliamentarians.