Pak Assembly passes bill allowing lawmakers to keep their assets confidential

Pakistan's Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill allowing lawmakers to keep details of their personal and family assets confidential for up to one year, citing safety concerns. The bill faced opposition from jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party.

According to Dawn, the measure can be invoked if public disclosure is deemed to pose a serious threat to the life or security of a member of Parliament or their family.

Currently, all members of the Assembly, Senate, and provincial assemblies must submit detailed statements of assets and liabilities -- including those of spouses and dependent children -- to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by December 31 each year.

Section 138 of the Elections Act also requires the ECP to publish these declarations in the official gazette.

The new bill proposed an amendment to Section 138, granting the Speaker of the Assembly or the Chairman of the Senate authority to withhold public disclosure if publishing a member's assets could endanger them or their family. The exemption can be granted for a maximum of one year at a time, provided a complete and truthful declaration is submitted confidentially to the ECP.

Alongside this change, the Assembly has also amended nine other clauses of the Elections Act, now renamed the Elections (Amendment) Act, 2026. Most revisions update legal terminology following judicial developments after the 27th Constitutional Amendment. For instance, references to the 'Supreme' Court have been replaced with "Federal Constitution" to reflect the creation of the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC).

The bill must still secure Senate approval and the President's assent to become law. The 27th Constitutional Amendment, passed in November, introduced the FCC and restructured the military leadership framework.

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