ECP issues asset details of MPs

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is among the richest members of parliament, as the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has for the first time uploaded details of assets and liabilities of the MPs for the year 2012-2013.



The fortune of the people’s elected representatives range from billions of rupees to a few lakhs and there are some who don’t own a single marla of land. Several legislators are industrialists, owning sugar mills, textile mills, landlords and businessmen.



Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif owns massive agriculture land and property worth over Rs1.43 billion, which includes land he inherited, was gifted and he owned. He owns 135 kanals land at Upper Mall, Lahore, 938.12 kanal agriculture land in Mouaza Mank Lahore, 299.12 kanal at Mouaza Bandokishani, Lahore, 103.6 kanal at The Mall, Lahore, 312.14 kanal in Mouaza Sultankay, Lahore, and 102 kanals in Sheikhupura.



His spouse Begum Kulsoom Nawaz owns Bungalow 24-A&B and B3, Mall Road, Murree, and he has invested in Chaudhry Sugar Mills, Hudabiya Eng. Co. Pvt Ltd., Muhammad Bakhsh Textile Mills, Hamza Spinning Mills while his spouse also has shares in Chaudhry Sugar Mills, Kulsoom Textile Mills and Muhammad Bakhsh Textile Mills.



The prime minister has also given details of the jewellery of his spouse and its value has been put at Rs1.5 million. He owns a Toyota Land Cruiser, two Mercedes Benz and a tractor. The total value of his assets and deposits and cash in hand is Rs1.824 billion as per the details he shared with the ECP.



In sharp contrast to the rich prime minister of a poor nation, there is one MNA, Jamshed Dasti, who owns no property and mainly relies on his salary as a member of parliament.Among the senators, Gul Ahmed Lot is a rich man. He and his wife own assets in and outside Pakistan. In Pakistan, his properties include plots, flats, agriculture land worth Rs97,167,884. In Britain, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, his 13 properties are valued at Rs1,285,178,564. He has also got loans of Rs512,886,812 in Britain and Dubai, has made investments of Rs290,722,581 in Pakistan and of Rs117,525,974 abroad.



The assets of Minister forPetroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi are also over Rs1.29 billion. Among other rich parliamentarians, Faryal Talpur owns assets of Rs158.9 million, Speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq owns Rs170 million assets, Aftab Sherpao Rs50 million, Ghulam Sarwar Khan Rs92 million, Sheikh Rashid Rs41.8 million, Javed Hashmi Rs100 million, Ghulam Bilour Rs37.5 million and Captain (retd) Safdar Rs50 million.



The prime minister’s main political rival, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan had net assets worth Rs5 million.Bulk of his property has been inherited besides he owns a Toyota Prado worth Rs5,000,000. There are also Rs2,967,5291 in the column of liabilities and these are in terms of his minor children in respect of assets standing in their names.



In the column of his property, besides agriculture land in Mianwali and elsewhere, Imran possesses a house on 300 kanals and 5 marla in village Mohra near Islamabad, a 1,585 square feet Clara Apartment in Diplomatic Enclave, Islamabad.



Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah has also turned out to be among the rich legislators and he has assets worth Rs26.9 million. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman owns assets worth Rs7.3 million. The JUI-F leader has Rs1.6 million in banks, owns ornaments worth Rs0.95 million, two houses and their value has been put at Rs4 million, besides he possesses a plot and its value is Rs0.7 million.



Former minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim of the PPP has 306 kanal agriculture land in Hala in his own and his children’s name, five bungalows in Karachi and the value of two of these has been mentioned Rs30 million and Rs33 million. Moreover, he owns a farmhouse in Rawal Town worth millions of rupees, an apartment in Dubai, valuing 2.2 million dirhams.



Former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has assets worth Rs190 million.The MQM leader Farooq Sattar owns assets worth Rs3.6 million.Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid is among the poor senators, according to his annual statement of assets and liabilities filed with the ECP.



He has only Rs250,300.13 as balance in his two bank accounts while he has no movable or immovable property, house, car, or jewellery and loans or liabilities. Only one entry exists in his declaration about his bank balance.



On the other hand, his party colleague, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar possesses valuable assets, but has paid a considerable amount as taxes and has also given handsome donations to charitable organisations.



Dar’s house in Gulberg Lahore, which was purchased for Rs2,505,800 is now valued at Rs45,000,000. He and his wife jointly own six acres of land in Moza Milot that they bought for Rs14,108,000. It is now worth Rs14,500,000.



In the column “assets bought or remitted from outside Pakistan, bank drafts/remittances” he has declared a sum of Rs53,500,000.The finance minister has three vehicles, Land Cruiser, Mercedes and Toyota of 2004 and 2008 models. He has made investment in stocks and has unsecured loans of Rs410,503,604 (given as Qarze Hasna to his son for business). He has in his possession cash/prize bonds of over Rs107,487,485.



Dar donated Rs10,333,480 to Hajveri Foundation (charitable trust), Hajveri Trust (orphanage home) and Ramazan Ration/Food Distribution. He paid Rs824,894 as taxes and Rs2,701,786 as income support levy.



Former interior minister Rehman Malik owns a house in London, which is valued at pound sterling 1.3 million or Rs339.75 million. He has a vehicle worth pound sterling 27,000, and bank balance of Rs675,000 in Pakistan. He has shown a liability of one million pound sterling jewellery of Rs2.75 million. He owns no car, no house or any other valuable in Pakistan.



Two senators, father and son, who are generally believed to be fabulously rich, did not possess any attractive assets as per their separate declarations. Rather, they are heavily indebted.



The father, Gulzar Ahmed Khan, owns land in Dera Ismail Khan worth Rs856,000; has bank balance of Rs1.3 million, furniture and fixture of Rs150,000, and liabilities of Rs195,316,273. The son, Waqar Ahmed Khan, has shares in two Gulberg Lahore houses amounting to over Rs8 million, has a bank balance of over Rs20 million, and liabilities of Rs21,946,168.



Senator Shahi Syed holds six properties and one trucking station valuing over Rs33 million, has three CNG stations worth close to Rs30 million, and has approximately Rs12 million as bank balance or cash in hand.



Hasil Bizenjo possesses inherited agriculture land worth Rs10 million and a residential plot valued at Rs90,000 in Khuzdar, and a mining company worth Rs6 million.Jehangir