Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday sought the withdrawal of a bill aimed at restricting public access to lawmakers’ asset declarations, with party MNA Asad Qaiser announcing his party’s dissociation from the legislation passed a day earlier by the National Assembly.
Read More: NA passes bill seeking to keep lawmakers’ assets ‘confidential’
Speaking on the floor of the House, Mr Qaiser objected to the amendment, arguing that parliamentarians should not be treated differently from ordinary citizens. He said transparency was a fundamental principle of democratic accountability and warned that shielding lawmakers’ asset details from public scrutiny could undermine public trust in elected institutions.
The #Form47 coalition of crooks in the National Assembly has just passed a bill to keep the details of their assets secret. This is the same regime that has rendered the National Accountability Bureau toothless by removing the assets beyond means explanation clause. The only… pic.twitter.com/yJUTjtgGcu
— PTI USA Official (@PTIOfficialUSA) January 22, 2026
Under Section 137 of the Elections Act, 2017, members of parliament and provincial assemblies are required to submit annual 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 Act mandates the ECP to publish these declarations in the official gazette.
The newly passed amendment to Section 138 introduces a proviso allowing the Speaker of the National Assembly or the Chairman of the Senate to withhold public disclosure of a member’s asset statement if publication is deemed to pose a serious threat to the life or safety of the member or their family. Such exemption would be granted for a period not exceeding one year at a time, subject to written reasons and confidential submission of complete asset details to the ECP.
PTI lawmakers contended that the provision could be misused and weaken transparency mechanisms, calling for the bill’s withdrawal. Meanwhile, the National Assembly also passed the Income Tax Third Amendment Bill 2025. Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani said the legislation aimed to protect taxpayers’ rights and strengthen the Alternate Dispute Resolution Committee.
The House was informed that billions of dollars in investment had been attracted through the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said investments had been facilitated across multiple sectors through improved investment and visa policies.
Read More: National Assembly passes bill allowing secrecy of lawmakers‘ assets
In addition, seven new bills were introduced in the assembly, including amendments related to anti-money laundering, national archives and abandoned properties management.