The ECP on Friday notified Minister for Water and Power Naveed Qamar, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr Asim Hussain, Minister for Interior Rehman Malik, Minister for Finance and Revenue Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Minister for Commerce Amin Faheem, Minister for Defence Ahmed Mukhtar, Minister for State Sheikh Waqas Akhram, Minister for Special Education Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Sardar Bahadar Sahr, Imtiaz Safdar Waraich and Khush Bakht Shujaat and others.
After issuance of suspension orders to these ministers and parliamentarians, the ECP has seized the membership status of parliament. Under the law of Election Commission it is mandatory to file assets returns each year for the assessment. According to details, 103 members of National Assembly, 13 senators, and 115 members of provincial assemblies have violated the ECP's rules by not providing the details of their annual returns to the Commission.
The parliamentarians from Punjab Assembly are on the top. Fifty-three parliamentarians from Punjab Assembly did not file their return. In Sindh, 23 MPAs failed to submit asset details. In KP, 23 and in Balochistan six MPAs have been suspended from provincial assembly membership.
The official of ECP said that September 30, 2011 was the last date of filing of return under 'Representation of People Act 1976, Article 42 (A)'. It is mandatory under the constitution of Pakistan to notify the clearance of the names of member parliaments in 15 days. Due to non-availability of some ECP members, the Commission is exercising its power and on October 21 suspended the membership of all those parliamentarians on non-compliance of the commission's directives. He further said their membership would be restored after they would submit their returns.