Enver Baig rejects FIA’s foreign business claim

Says his wife owns a property in UAE but family has no mills anywhere

ISLAMABAD: Former senator Enver Baig has totally rejected the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claim that his family owns a steel mill in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Baig’s lawyer Shah Khawar has issued a clarification, which says the names of his client and his spouse were included in a list of Pakistanis owning properties and assets in the UAE.

“It has been reported that the spouse of our client owns a flat in Dubai whereas he is the owner/proprietor of a business concern by the name of ‘Anwar Steel’.

“It is, hereby, clarified that the spouse of our client is the owner of property/flat in Dubai. However, the same was gifted to her by her late father and the said property has been declared by her in her annual tax returns submitted to FBR [Federal Board of Revenue] for the tax year 2015-16,” it said.

It, however, clarified that Baig neither owns any asset/business by the name of Anwar Steel in Pakistan or abroad, nor have his spouse or children any share in any business concern by the name of Anwar Steel. “Furthermore, no property in the name of Enver Baig is held overseas,” it added.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Baig wondered how the FIA claimed that he or any member of his family owns any steel mill in the UAE. He said the FIA had given the message that ‘if you declare your assets then you are unsafe’ adding that non-filers were better off than filers.