Islamabad, September 23; PILDAT analysis is based on the declarations of assets by MNAs themselves that the ECP publishes every year and PILDAT neither attempts to verify the information provided by the legislators, nor does PILDAT attach any value judgment about the sources of assets. This has been stated by PILDAT in letters separately written to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan and the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of Pakistan today to set on record facts about PILDAT Analysis of MNAs assets declarations and to dispel misperceptions that seemed to have resulted in an outrage by public representatives.

In the PILDAT report released on September 14, 2010, there is neither a categorical statement nor any insinuation that MNAs� assets constitute any ill-gotten wealth or assets have increased due to corrupt practices. PILDAT does not even maintain that wealth increase in itself is a questionable activity but states facts obtained through analysis without value judgment, stated the letters.

The letters written by PILDAT Executive Director Ahmed Bilal Mehboob state that PILDAT firmly believes in a strong Parliament, and has been making modest contributions to strengthening democracy and democratic institutions in Pakistan since 2002 which are recognized and appreciated across party lines. PILDAT has been carrying out analysis of the MNAs� declared assets since 2002 so as to contribute to the process of transparency that every MNA adheres to based on the declarations of assets by MNAs that the Election Commission of Pakistan publishes every year in the form of a Gazette of the Federal Government for the information and use of general public. The declarations are only analysed to demonstrate and highlight underlying trends among parties, provinces and individual legislators.

�Honourable public representatives are entitled to their views, just as all citizens are, however we wish to place facts on the record and to remove misperceptions,� the letter stated. Terming some legislators� outrage on their self-declared assets as unfortunate, Mr. Mehboob maintained that PILDAT holds elected representatives in the highest esteem and can not think of bringing them into disrepute. At the same time, PILDAT holds dear the principles of transparency and public�s right to information and accountability for a vibrant and sustainable democracy.

A reference is repeatedly made by legislators that why PILDAT does not carry out a similar analysis of the assets held by other segments of the society such as Military, Judiciary, Bureaucracy, etc. PILDAT Executive Director said that we believe in and have always demanded greater transparency for all segments but we do not have access to data as the law currently provides for making public assets declarations of only the elected legislators� assets. If the Parliament frames a law to make public the assets statements of other public officials, a similar analysis about them will also follow, if not by us, by another think tank, he stated.

PILDAT reports carry a disclaimer that any error in the report is not deliberate, and we are open to further scrutiny and clarification as and where needed, if the reports have in any way contributed to mis-reporting of facts or have hurt the sensibilities of any one, we deeply regret that and are ready to correct where a specific error is brought to our notice.

He also offered to brief Parliamentarians further and to answer questions to remove any misunderstandings as and when needed.

Referring to a recent PILDAT Report on Mid-Term Assessment of the Quality of Democracy in Pakistan, based on the analysis and assessment by a non-partisan Democracy Assessment Group, he stated that the key messages of the Report are that Status of Constitutional and institutional arrangements of Democracy today are comparatively better than in most parts of our history; a democratic Pakistan alone is a secure Pakistan and that way forward for Pakistan is to sustain, refine and strengthen the democratic system.

Copies of the letters addressed to the Prime Minister, the Speaker and the Leader of the Opposition can be accessed here by clicking on the following links: