Under the proposed "The Election Bill 2017" every member of an 'Assembly or Senate' will be required to submit annual wealth statement including assets and liabilities of his spouse and dependent children as on the preceding thirtieth day of June on the form prescribed under the Income Tax Ordinance 2001.
Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, a member of ruling PML-N, suggested removal of the above mentioned clause with respect to submission of wealth statement by the parliamentarians from the Election Bill, 2017.
"There is no need to submit wealth statement along with the assets and liabilities form...therefore I'm suggesting to remove the said clause from the new election law," she proposed.
The Senate standing committee on law and justice met here with Senator Javed Abbasi in the chair. Federal Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid quickly endorsed the point of view of Senator Ayesha, saying it was a difficult process for the parliamentarians to file their wealth statements along with the assets and liabilities form which is mandatory for the lawmakers to submit to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) before contesting elections.
However, committee members including Nawabzada Saifullah Magsi and Murtaza Wahab of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) requested to defer the discussion on the particular clause till the next meeting while Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) Senator Azam Khan Swati categorically opposed any amendment to the clause.
The committee also discussed amendments proposed by Swati related to administrative and technical matters as well as replacement of certain words and phrases to make the intention and purpose of sections clear.
The parliamentary body also discussed whether the column asking for educational details of the MP should remain part of the nomination papers as well as people with invalid/expired CNICs be allowed to cast their vote, delay in electoral process in a polling station should result in time extension to that polling station or whole constituency among other matters under the purview of the Bill.
The bill will be discussed in the next meeting again to consider the remaining amendments. The committee decided to expedite the amendment consideration process and hold frequent meetings so that the bill can be passed as early as possible and can be implemented in the 2018 general elections.
Committee chairman Javed Abbasi, referred "The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2016 introduced by Senators Sassui Palijo and Mukhtiar Ahmed Dhamra to Chairman Senate, after the movers of the bill protested, saying the bill had already been passed in previous meeting of the committee with consensus.
Palijo said the bill had been passed by the committee in May this year which was also reported in print and electronic media but it is beyond comprehension and under whose pressure it is being taken up again. Abbasi said the movers are not ready to hear the stance of committee secretariat therefore the matter will be referred to Chairman Senate who will listen to the movers, Chairman Committee, Secretariat as well as the verbatim or audio recording of the committee meetings and then decide the matter.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017