ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday granted 30-day deadline to the parliamentarians for submitting the fresh declarations pertaining to their nationality status.
Speaking to media representatives after an important meeting over dual-nationality issue, Secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan Ishtiaq Ahmed said that the members of the national and provincial assemblies who fail to submit fresh declarations within 30 days will be considered dual-nationals.He said that the lawmakers have started to submit their fresh declarations in the central and provincial offices of the Election Commission of Pakistan.
He said “14 senators, 140 National Assembly members, four Punjab Assembly members, 25 Balochistan Assembly members and five Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly members have submitted their declarations.” The Election Commission Secretary said that “no one from the Sindh Assembly has submitted their declarations yet.”The ECP Secretary said that submission of the fresh declaration was the ruling of the Supreme Court and the ECP would implement it.
The ECP, on a Supreme Court direction, had asked all members of Senate, National Assembly and the provincial assemblies on September 24 to submit declarations on oath that they were not disqualified under Article 62 (1) (c) of the Constitution. (The sub-article of the basic law bars public representatives from holding dual nationality.) A reminder was sent by the ECP on October 2 asking the lawmakers to furnish their declarations on or before October 9 as secretaries of Senate and the National Assembly refused to comply with the earlier directions.
Meanwhile, MQM leader and Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Dr Farooq Sattar has appealed to the Election Commission not to give any decision on dual-nationality issue for the time being.Farooq Sattar made the delay plea while talking to journalists after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Fakharuddin G Ebrahim in Islamabad.The MQM leader said he had asked the Chief Election Commissioner that no formal decision should be made on dual nationality case till the Supreme Court gave its final verdict on the subject.
He said he told the Election Commissioner that the MQM would file a review petition against the apex court order.Staff Reporter adds: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has decided to suspend membership of 283 parliamentarians from October 15 for not submitting their declarations of assets and liabilities.It should be mentioned that out of 1,174 members of Senate, National Assembly and provincial assemblies, 878 have provided the details of their assets to the ECP.
However, key politicians including Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, Defence Minister Ch Ahmed Mukhtar, Senator Faisal Raza Abidi, Senator Muhammad Azam Hoti, Caption (retd) Muhammad Safdar, Maulana Atta-ur-Rehman, Engineer Ameer Muqam, Abid Sher Ali, Federal Minister Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, Kashmala Tariq, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Ali Musa Gilani and Abdul Qadir Gilani (sons of former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani), Hamid Saeed Kazmi, Sardar Ovais Laghari and others have not yet provided details of their assets to ECP.They have been given six-day time to submit details of their assets or else, after October 15 deadline, their membership would be suspended, says a statement issued here on the ECP on Tuesday. – Nation
