Seven PM aides found to be dual nationals, PR holders of other countries

ISLAMABAD:

In an unprecedented move, the government on Saturday went public with the assets and nationalities of 15 special assistants to the prime minister – bringing to light that seven of them were either dual nationals or held another country’s permanent residency.

The details of their assets and nationalities have been put up on the website of the Cabinet Division. Information Minister Shibli Faraz tweeted that the information had been made public on the instruction of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The move comes in response to growing criticism and calls for declaring the assets of the people close to the prime minister.

Before coming to power, Premier Imran was in favour of keeping a small cabinet but the size of the cabinet has now reached about 50, including federal ministers, ministers of state, advisers and special assistants.

Leaving nothing to imagination, the information placed on the website revealed that a total of seven SAPMs have dual nationalities or permanent residency in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada and Singapore.

They included SAPM on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, SAPM on Parliamentary Coordination Nadeem Afzal Gondal, SAPM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar, SAPM on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning Moeed Wasim Yusuf, SAPM on Digital Pakistan Tania Aidrus, SAPM on Power Division and Coordination of Marketing and Development of Mineral Resources Shahzad Syed Qasim.

The SAPM on Political Communication, Shahbaz Gill, holds Green Card of the US. He has total assets worth Rs118,590,703.

Bukhari holds British nationality, Babar and Qasim have US nationalities, Aidrus is Canadian by birth and holds the permanent residency of Singapore, while Gondal holds permanent residency of Canada.

SAPM Yusuf holds permanent residency of the US, which, according to him, he is not availing since his return to Pakistan. "I am not availing residency in USA since I returned to Pakistan, and have not travelled to USA ever since," states his hand-written clarification on the form. "Have no employment or income in the US," he adds.

SAPM on Information and Broadcasting (in honorary capacity) Lt-Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa has eight immovable properties, including a five-kanal house in the federal capital, four-kanal residential plot in DHA, Karachi; one kanal residential plot each in Islamabad and Karachi; a total of 12 marla commercial plots in Lahore, 30 acres of agricultural land in Rahim Yar Khan district and 35 acres of agricultural land in Bahawalpur district.

The documents have listed one car (Toyota ZX 2016) worth Rs3 million. Two bank accounts in Islamabad have Rs291,000 and Rs1,239, respectively. Lt-Gen Bajwa also has a foreign bank account in Rawalpindi containing $4,149.

Bukhari’s assets include over 1,300 kanals of land in Attock, 34 plots in Islamabad’s Sector C-16, a flat in London, shares in multiple companies located abroad, a Toyota Land Cruiser worth Rs200,000,000, a Bentley worth £245,000, Range Rover worth £135,000, two Mercedes worth £199,391; 150 tolas of gold held by himself and jewellery worth £150,000 held by his wife and multiple bank accounts in Pakistan and the UK.

SAPM on Accountability and Interior with the status of Minister of State Mirza Shahzad Akbar’s statement of assets and liabilities states that he along with his spouse has immovable property worth Rs13,310,000.

The statement reveals that Akbar’s spouse has an inherited property – a flat – in Spain. His moveable assets are worth Rs52,569,783.

SAPM on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation with the status of Federal Minister Dr Sania Nishtar has declared that she has joint inherited property of 9.6 marlas in Peshawar, a Honda Civic car in the name of her spouse, jewellery worth Rs500,000 and unsecure loans owing of Rs2,396,570.

In a total of five bank accounts -- three in her spouse’s name and a student account which was closed in 2011 -- the couple have a total amount of Rs14,810,846. She has no property or assets and business capital in and outside Pakistan.

SAPM on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination with the status of Minister of State Zafar Mirza has a house and two plots worth Rs35 million, gold worth Rs2 million and cash amounting to roughly Rs1.8 million.

SAPM on Youth Affairs Usman Dar has investments in shares in nine companies worth Rs20,116,600, business capital in Pakistan worth Rs6,675,561, bank balance of Rs711,133, and inheritance shares to be transferred in his name from his deceased father in land measuring 40 kanals in Murree and a two-kanal house in Sialkot.

Nadeem Afzal Chan has agricultural property valuing Rs7,884,000; residential property worth Rs9,490,000; Rs2,500,000 business capital in Pakistan, remittance amounting to Rs3,200,000, gifts worth Rs3,800,000 and other assets worth Rs12,184,100 along with cars.

SAPM on activities pertaining to Ministries of Water Resources, Power and Petroleum in Balochistan, Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, has declared total assets worth Rs812,413,358.

He along with his wives and other family members have 640 tolas of gold, a spring residential villa and an apartment at International City in Dubai, UAE; and agricultural land among other things.

Nadeem Babar, the SAPM on Petroleum Division with the status of Minister of State, has immovable property worth Rs129,764,250, a house in Houston, USA, total business capital of Rs2,153,119,451 in Pakistan, business capital of Rs137,790,063 outside Pakistan, Rs297,418,610 cash and bank accounts, prize bonds, and saving accounts having Rs166,196,807 among other things; making the grand total assets worth Rs2,752,812,874.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Minerals and Marketing Shahzad Qasim has multiple properties, bank accounts and vehicles in and outside Pakistan.

SAPM on Establishment with the status of Federal Minister Mohammad Shehzad Arbab has immovable property worth Rs100,490,000, and a total bank balance of Rs5,768,440.

Yusuf, Aidrus and Awan have also declared their assets and details of their bank accounts.