ISLAMABAD - Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) report has revealed that a total of 70 MPAs across four provincial assemblies have criminal records against them.
The Fafen Parliament Monitor report shows that 33 Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) in Punjab have criminal record against them.
Out of these 18 belong to the PTI and 14 to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The only other MPA with criminal record is Muawia Azam Tariq of the Pakistan Rah-e-Haq Party, a front for the banned sectarian outfit Ahle-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ).
In relative terms, the lawmakers with criminal record constitute just nine percent of the lawmakers in Punjab Assembly.
In Sindh, 20 MPAs, or 12 percent, have reported criminal cases against them in documents filed with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), says the Fafen report. Half of these lawmakers belong to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Among the remaining 10, four belong to parties in the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), three to the PTI, two to Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and one is still independent.
The number of MPAs with criminal record in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan assemblies is eight (six percent) and 10 (15 percent), respectively. Of the eight in KP, five belong to the PTI and three to the Awami National Party (ANP). In Balochistan, three Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), two ANP, and one PTI and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party MPA each have reported criminal record. The other three with criminal record are still independent.
The Fafen report also profiles MPAs in all four provincial assemblies in terms of education qualifications, assets, profession and contribution to party funds.