Islamabad: The Election Commission of Pakistan has disclosed that 446 out of 1,181 lawmakers have failed to meet the deadline for submitting their annual statements of assets and liabilities, as mandated by Section 137 of the Elections Act, 2017. This non-compliance represents nearly 38 percent of the country’s legislators.
The data, released by the commission, highlights varying degrees of compliance across different assemblies. The Punjab Assembly reported the highest non-compliance, with 159 members, or 42 percent, failing to submit their statements by the December 31 deadline. In Balochistan, 26 members, accounting for 40 percent, did not comply.
The National Assembly witnessed a 37 percent non-compliance rate, with 125 members missing the deadline. Similarly, in Sindh, 62 members, also 37 percent, failed to meet the requirement, while 48 members in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, representing 33 percent, did not submit their declarations.
According to the Elections Act, 2017, lawmakers must annually declare their assets, including those of their spouses and dependent children. The Election Commission is tasked with publishing the names of non-compliant members and scrutinizing declarations within 120 days. False statements may result in proceedings for corrupt practices.
Failure to submit the required statement by January 16 results in the suspension of the lawmaker’s membership until compliance is achieved, as per Section 137(3) of the Act.