ECP suspends 154 lawmakers over failure to submit assets, liabilities details

• Three senators and 48 MNAs lose memberships
• 103 provincial assembly members suspended
• ECP to reinstate lawmakers once they submit assets and liabilities statement

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan on Monday suspended memberships of 154 federal and provincial lawmakers over failure to submit assets and liabilities statements.

The commission has suspended memberships of three senators namely Musadik Masood Malik, Kamran Michael, and Shamim Afridi.

Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Ali Zaidi, Amir Liaquat Hussain, Dr Fehmida Mirza, Mohsin Dawar, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui are also included among the 48 members suspended from the National Assembly.

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, who did not take an oath, is among 52 lawmakers suspended in Punjab, while Nasir Hussain Shah Rizvi and 18 others have been debarred from the Sindh Assembly.

The ECP has suspended 26 members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, including Kamran Khan Bangash and six from the Balochistan Assembly, including Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind.

Under the sub-section (1) of Section 137 of the Elections Act 2017, with rule 137 of the Elections Rules 2017, a member of an assembly and Senate is required to submit a copy of his statement of assets and liabilities every year on or before December 31.

If the member of assemblies or Senate fails to submit the documents, then the ECP can, under sub-section 3 of Section 137, suspend their membership. It may be mentioned here that the membership will be reinstated once the assets and liabilities statements are submitted.