ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has asked the lawmakers to submit their statements of assets for the financial year ending 2020-21 by December 31.

The ECP issued a statement reminding federal and provincial lawmakers to meet the legal obligation of filing their yearly statements of assets and liabilities, as well as of their spouses and dependents, by Dec 31.

Section 137 (1) of the Elections Act reads: “Every member of an Assembly and Senate shall submit to the Commission, on or before December 31 each year, a copy of his statement of assets and liabilities, including assets and liabilities of his spouse and dependent children as on the preceding 30th day of June on Form B, said a press release on Wednesday.

Under the following sub-sections, the commission on the first day of January each year is to publish the names of members who failed to submit the requisite statements of assets and liabilities within the specified period and on Jan 16 by an order suspend the membership of a member of an assembly and Senate who fails to submit the statement of assets and liabilities by Jan 15 and such a member shall cease to function till he files the statement.

Section 137 (4) reads: “Where a Member submits the statement of assets and liabilities under this section which is found to be false in material particulars, he may, within 120 from the date submission of the statement, be proceeded against for committing the offence of corrupt practice.”

The prescribed form along with instruction/guidelines prepared in this regard can be obtained free of cost from the ECP secretariat, Islamabad , office of the provincial Election Commissioners in each Province, Senate, Secretariat, National Assembly secretariats of Provincial assemblies. Moreover the forms can be obtained form ECP’s website www.ecp.gov.pk