With assets in UAE, Azam Swati and Taj Afridi are richest among Pakistan's senators

ISLAMABAD: PTI Senator and Federal Minister for Narcotics Control Muhammad Azam Khan Swati and an independent senator from the erstwhile Fata Taj Muhammad Afridi are the richest legislators with Rs1.21 billion and Rs1.22 billion assets (minus liabilities) respectively, The News reported on Tuesday.

On the other hand, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Senator Sirajul Haq is poorest among the senators with Rs0.3 million worth of assets – including an inherited piece of land and Rs0.6 million in his bank account.

This information was summarised in the Election Commission of Pakista (ECP)'s document on assets and liabilities of lawmakers for the year 2019. 

As per the details released by ECP, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani owns a business company in Malaysia, which has not been operational since 2008. He also possesses assets worth Rs100 million including over 23,000 kanals of agricultural land, while his spouse owns 1.5kg gold jewelry.

PML-N’s Chaudhry Tanveer Khan’s agricultural property is worth Rs36.7 million, while his non-agricultural property values more than Rs47.4 million. He also has over Rs37.9 million in his bank account.

“A look at the given information makes it very obvious that several members of the Parliament find it comfortable to make an investment in businesses as well as properties in the United Arab Emirates, while some have their assets in other countries including the US and the UK,” reads the publication.

Case in point would be the richest of the lawmakers: Afridi and Swati.

Afridi -- who owns assets worth Rs167.11 million in the UAE besides running businesses in Pakistan worth Rs111.45 million as well as investments valuing at Rs131.26 million. His liabilities are Rs376.51 million (business loans) in total.

In addition to owning 10 properties in the US and UAE valued at Rs701.92 million, Swati als has assets worth Rs1.21 billion and an investment of over Rs475 million. He also owns Rs460.70 million worth of properties in Pakistan, has brought assets worth Rs205.25 million from abroad and has Rs59 million cash in hand, and Rs62.45 million in his and his spouse’s bank accounts.

His four vehicles value Rs59.46 million. He also has liabilities of Rs811.23 million abroad and the value of his assets minus liabilities is Rs121 billion.

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Another PTI Senator Muhammad Ayub from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa owns a $1 million house and business worth 6m UAE dirhams in Dubai in addition to an investment of one million pounds in the United Kingdom.

Yet another treasury senator Aurangzeb Khan is among those, who own properties and have made investments in the UAE. 

Significantly, the number of his properties in Pakistan has grown from 10 to 13 in a year, including an 11-kanal residential house in Murree purchased for Rs70million. His latest investment is a medical centre in the federal capital costing Rs87.50 million.

The number of properties owned by the PML-N Senator Rahila Magsi in the UAE has doubled. 

Another PML-N Senator Nuzhat Sadiq owns a house in the US in the name of her spouse and the cost and market value of the property is stated to be Rs3.6million and Rs20million.

Shaheen Khalid Butt of the PML-N owns two properties in the United States, while the present market value of properties is stated to be $2.7million. PPP Senator A Rehman Malik owns a house in London valuing 1.3 million pounds.

He has 53,520 dirhams in a joint account with his spouse at Dubai Islamic Bank and has also secured a mortgage of 1.1 million pounds. He is director of a UK-registered think tank Global Security Advisers. Additionally, he holds shares in Green Plus worth 300,000 dollars.

Similarly, his spouse Dr Saeeda Iqbal is a shareholder in Peak Energy, UAE. PML-N Senator Musadik Malik and his wife have 25% share each in an apartment in Bahrain, while the total value of shares held in the property by the couple is estimated at Rs27 million.