Electoral transparency: Lifestyles of the rich and famous

Provincial leaders’ asset declarations reaffirm fusion of politics and money.

PESHAWAR:

Among the bigwigs of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government, Chief Minister (CM) Pervez Khattak is among the haves whereas his own senior minister from Jamaat-e-Islami, Sirajul Haq, is among the proverbial have-nots.

A study of the assets declaration of top provincial leaders, available at the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) website, puts Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) provincial chief executive at the top with 19 immovable properties inside Pakistan worth Rs221.24 million. Khattak’s declaration does not list any foreign properties or movable assets, along with zero investment in stocks, bonds, saving schemes, unsecured loans and mortgages.



All in all, as of June 30, 2013, the CM owns a Toyota Corolla worth Rs1.367 million, Rs147, 883 in four bank accounts, one of which is in his wife’s name and cash worth Rs260,513. Meanwhile, the province’s first lady owns 53 tolas of gold worth Rs2.62 million, has Rs137,080 in a bank account under her name and Rs2.8 million separately in a joint account with Khattak. She also owns Rs300,000 worth of furniture and fittings. Moreover, Khattak has transferred around Rs5.5 million worth of assets to his relatives.

Similarly, the provincial leader of the Qaumi Watan Party, which recently ended its honeymoon with the PTI-led coalition government, Sikandar Hayat Sherpao’s total assets are worth over Rs120 million. Sherpao has listed two properties in Islamabad and agricultural land in Charsadda worth Rs7.1 million. He has also declared a house (now sold) in Hayatabad and a share in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) business with his brother. Other assets include three cars worth Rs11 million, Rs42 million worth of cash and prize bonds, and around Rs60 million in various bank accounts. Moreover, assets worth Rs6.3 million have been listed under his wife’s name.



Opposition Leader in K-P Assembly Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi has declared his total assets worth Rs17.71 million. Abbasi, who belongs to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and is a former chief minister of the province, owns three properties worth Rs6 million inside the country, about Rs1.1 million worth of movable assets, a car worth Rs1.3 million, jewellery worth Rs0.5 million and about Rs7.9 million in cash and in banks. The leader from the Hazara belt has also listed around Rs0.75 million worth of furniture and Rs35,500 worth of arms and ammunition.

Another opposition leader, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s Maulana Lutfur Rehman has listed two residential properties and agricultural lands in DI Khan worth Rs8.5 million. Rehman also owns around Rs0.45 million in prize bonds, 50 tolas of gold in his wife’s name, Rs1 million worth of furniture and other household items. Moreover, he has over Rs7.7 million in four bank accounts along with a vehicle.

Meanwhile, the former ruling party’s parliamentary leader, Sardar Hussain Babak of the Awami National Party (ANP), has listed three properties worth Rs58 million in Pakistan, all of which are in his father’s name. The ANP leader does not own a vehicle and has Rs0.1 million worth of cash and Rs0.8 million in the bank, along with 25 tolas of gold.



Last, and apparently the least, K-P Finance Minister Sirajul Haq has proved his ‘awami’ persona by listing about 12 kanals of joint agricultural lands as his sole property, besides shares in private schools in Khal, Lower Dir and Rs50,000 in cash and bank accounts. The finance chief of the province does not own a car.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 4^th, 2014.