ISLAMABAD: The lawmakers—parliamentarians and provincial assemblies’ members—are required to submit to the electoral body their annual wealth statements, and those of their spouses and dependant children, for the previous fiscal year, latest by today (Wednesday), the deadline to file the required statements. In the recent weeks, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) repeatedly drew the attention of the members of the Parliament and provincial assemblies to submit to the ECP by 31 December 2025, the yearly statements of their assets and liabilities, including those of their spouses and dependent children, for the financial year 2024-25, which is a mandatory requirement under Section 137 of the Elections Act, 2017. This section reads, “Submission of statement of assets and liabilities - Every member of an assembly and Senate shall submit to the Commission, on or before 31 December 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 thirtieth day of June on Form B.” On 1 January each year, the ECP publishes the names of legislators who do not share the required wealth statements. Section 137(2) reads, “The Commission, on the first day of January each year through a press release, shall publish the names of members who failed to submit the requisite statement of assets and liabilities within the period specified under Sub-section (1).” On 16 January each year, the legislative memberships of those legislators who do not submit the wealth statements for the previous fiscal year to ECP by 15 January are suspended under Section 137(3). “The Commission shall, on the sixteenth day of January, 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 the fifteenth day of January and such member shall cease to function till he files the statement of assets and liabilities,” this law reads. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025