NA clears elections amendment bill to limit public disclosure of lawmakers’ assets

The National Assembly on Wednesday passed the Elections Amendment Bill 2026, paving the way for lawmakers to seek temporary exemptions from public disclosure of their asset declarations on security grounds, despite opposition from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

The bill amends Section 138 of the Elections Act to allow the speaker of the National Assembly or the chairman of the Senate to bar the Election Commission of Pakistan from publicly releasing a member’s statement of assets and liabilities. Such a restriction may be granted upon a written application by the member, if the presiding officer determines that publication would pose a serious threat to the life or safety of the lawmaker or their family.

Any exemption approved under the amendment will remain valid for a maximum period of one year at a time and will be subject to the condition that a complete and accurate statement of assets and liabilities is submitted confidentially to the ECP.

Currently, under Section 137 of the Elections Act, members of the National Assembly, Senate and provincial assemblies are required to submit annual asset declarations, including those of their spouses and dependent children, to the ECP by December 31 each year. The law further obliges the commission to publish these declarations in the official gazette.

The statement of objects and reasons accompanying the bill says the amendment seeks to balance transparency with the protection of individual rights. While public disclosure of assets is described as essential for accountability, public trust and good governance, the document notes that unrestricted disclosure could, in certain circumstances, compromise the security and privacy of parliamentarians and their families.

The legislation also updates several legal references by replacing the word “Supreme” with “Federal Constitutional” to reflect the establishment of the Federal Constitutional Court under the 27th Constitutional Amendment.

The bill had previously failed to advance in August last year after the National Assembly Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs was unable to reach consensus, with members of both the PML-N and PTI opposing a similar proposal moved by PPP lawmakers Shazia Marri and Syed Naveed Qamar. In the latest session, however, only the PTI opposed the measure.

During the sitting, Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs chairperson Rana Iradat Sharif Khan presented the committee’s report, following which the House took up and passed the bill.

The legislation will now be sent to the Senate for consideration and will require presidential assent before it becomes law.