Pakistan Election Commission Seeks Power to Verify Lawmakers' Asset Declarations

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is seeking new powers to directly question lawmakers about their declared assets and liabilities. The proposed amendment to the Election Rules 2017 aims to insert a new proviso in Rule 137, allowing the ECP to seek clarification if a parliamentarian's wealth statement contains ambiguities.

Under the proposed rule, any person, department, organization, or financial institution would be obligated to respond to the ECP's queries within a timeframe set by the commission. The ECP has opened the draft amendment for public consultation, inviting objections and suggestions until August 15. Following this period, the commission will hear and decide on any objections.

This initiative gains significance as the ECP is currently reviewing three cases against Mehmood Khan Achakzai, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly and chief of PkMAP. One of these cases specifically concerns his statement of assets and liabilities. The hearings for these cases are scheduled for August 19, just four days after the deadline for public input on the proposed amendment. If formally adopted, the amendment would provide a legal framework for the ECP to compel timely information from lawmakers and relevant institutions.

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shall be bound to respond to the query/clarification within time fixed by the commission