ECP suspends memberships of 159 lawmakers over failure to submit financial statements
Pakistan
Under the Election Act, lawmakers are required to submit their financial statements by January 15
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has suspended the memberships of 159 members of parliament and provincial assemblies for failing to submit their financial statements.
Those suspended include 32 members of the National Assembly, 50 members of the Punjab Assembly—including Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat—33 members of the Sindh Assembly, 28 members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, 7 members of the Balochistan Assembly, and 9 senators.
Among the suspended lawmakers are Federal Minister Musadik Malik, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Arshad Vohra, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani, Ali Musa Gilani, Saira Afzal Tarar, and Mehreen Razaq Bhutto, along with others.
From the Senate, the memberships of Fauzia Arshad, Abid Sher Ali, Murad Saeed, and Noor-ul-Haq Qadri have also been suspended.
The suspended members will not be able to participate in any proceedings of parliament or provincial assemblies until their memberships are restored. Under the Election Act, lawmakers are required to submit their financial statements by January 15.
Last week, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said that 446 lawmakers failed to submit their statements of assets and liabilities by the December 31, 2025 deadline and issued notices directing them to file the documents by January 15.
Those who missed the deadline include 125 members of the National Assembly, 26 senators, 159 members of the Punjab Assembly, 62 members of the Sindh Assembly, 48 members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, and 26 members of the Balochistan Assembly.
The ECP said the submission of annual statements is mandatory under Section 137 of the Elections Act, 2017. Under Section 137(1), every member of an assembly and the Senate is required to submit, on or before December 31 each year, a statement of assets and liabilities—including those of their spouse and dependent children—as of June 30 of the same year.
Last year, the ECP suspended the membership of 139 lawmakers for failing to submit their annual asset declarations. Those suspended included two senators from Balochistan—Muhammad Qasim of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) and Abdul Quddus of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).
Other suspended lawmakers included 16 members of the National Assembly, 68 members of the Punjab Assembly, 33 from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, 15 from the Sindh Assembly, and five from the Balochistan Assembly.
The suspended lawmakers were barred from attending proceedings of their respective legislatures.
