The National Assembly on Wednesday approved the Elections Amendment Bill, 2025, allowing the non-disclosure of lawmakers’ assets and liabilities if making them public is deemed to pose a serious threat to the life or safety of the member or their family.
The bill, passed by a majority vote, was tabled by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Shazia Marri.
In the bill, the proposed amendment to Section 138 of the Elections Act seeks to insert a proviso stating: “Provided that the speaker of the assembly concerned or, as the case may be, the chairman of the Senate may, by a ruling delivered in the chamber, determine that the statement of assets and liabilities of that member shall not be published publicly by the commission if such publication would pose a serious threat to the life or safety of the members or, as the case may be, his family, for a period not exceeding one year at a time and subject to the condition that a complete and true statement of assets and liabilities shall be submitted confidentially to the Election Commission.”
During the session, a bill seeking amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure was also introduced by PPP lawmaker Mirza Ikhtiar Baig.
In addition, the Companies (Amendment) Bill 2026 was presented by Shazia Marri.
Speaking during the debate, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan opposed the Elections Amendment Bill, arguing that the authority to conduct elections rests with the Election Commission of Pakistan, while related constitutional powers lie with the Supreme Court.
He said the proposed legislation would shift these powers to the Constitutional Court, which, he warned, could create further contradictions and disagreements.
Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar told the House that the standing committee had approved the amendments to the Elections Amendment Bill.
He said the opposition could have raised its objections at the committee stage, but did not do so as it had chosen not to participate in standing committees.
Tarar said the amendments would empower the Senate chairman and the National Assembly speaker to decide whether a member’s statements of assets and liabilities should be made public.
He said that while asset declarations would continue to be submitted to the Election Commission, they would no longer be published.
Barrister Gohar reiterated his opposition, stating that the bill would divert election-related legal matters from the Supreme Court to the Constitutional Court.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly referred a separate bill concerning reserved seats for women to the relevant standing committee for further deliberation.
