Startling declarations: Our MPAs place their assets between rags and riches

Election Commission says not all figures accurate but they have no way of checking.

KARACHI:

Unbelievable though it may sound, Sindh’s Food Minister Nadir Magsi possesses enough arsenal to arm a small riot-quelling contingent.

According to a declaration of assets and liabilities submitted to the Election Commission, Nadir Magsi, who is also chieftain of the tribe, owns firearm weapons worth around Rs7.5 million and he spent an additional amount of Rs2.5 million on bullets. He owns a flat in the United States that is valued at Rs10 million, a Mitsubishi car worth Rs2 million, a Land Cruiser of Rs2.6 million, Toyota Vigo of Rs1.6 million and a tractor worth Rs6 million. Besides a bank deposit of Rs42 million, he also owns 15 tolas of gold.

All of this information emerges from Magsi’s sole source of income, ie farmland, through which he generates around 10 million rupees a year.

Magsi’s statement of wealth is part of the mandatory but startling declarations of assets submitted by parliamentarians - senators, MNAs and MPAs - to the Election Commission of Pakistan by October 15.

These declarations not just reveal the princely lifestyles of some of these public representatives, but have the added effect of creating a stark contrast for those at the other end of the spectrum. There are others, who despite holding important offices, have no property, no house or car, to their name.

Information Technology Minister Raza Haroon and Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmad of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) are two such ‘poor’ MPAs. The deputy speaker of the Sindh Assembly, Shehla Raza, falls in the same category - she doesn’t own a house.

Many legislators maintained that there has been no change in their wealth from last year. The few who have earned a little more, put the surge down to profits from business and a good harvest.

Law minister, Ayaz Soomro, is the only MPA who owned a car last year, but doesn’t have one this year. He has declared that he owns a plot and a house besides prize bonds and a bank balance of Rs2,594,263.

Pakistan Peoples Party leader and federal minister for commerce, Amin Fahim, who is also the spiritual head of the Sarwari Jamaat of Hala, has declared that he spends around Rs2.4 million per annum on free food (langar) at the Dargah of his ancestor, Ghous-ul Haq Makhdoom Sawar Nooh. He also forks out Rs3.4 million a year to school his son in the UK.

Fahim owns thousands of acres of farmland and has eight flats and bungalows in Karachi. The value of each house ranges between 13 million and 30 million rupees. However, most of this urban property is in the name of his wife. Fahim also has a farmhouse spread over 3.75 acres of land near Rawal Dam in Islamabad and owns another house in Dubai.

Former chief minister, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim of Thar, has declared 500 acres worth Rs22 million. He has a house in the UAE worth Rs5 million and another in Islamabad valued at Rs6 million besides 10,000 dirhams as cash in hand. He also owns 130 goats.

PPP MNA from Karachi, Nabeel Gabol, has two houses, one worth Rs6.6 million and another valued at Rs3 million. He has a share in some business which helped him earn around Rs3 million.

Human rights minister, Nadia Gabol of the MQM, seems to be one of the poorest MPAs with no house, vehicle or any other property. But she has 30 tolas of gold worth Rs450,000 and a bank balance of Rs200,000.

However, some other legislators of the MQM, believed to be from the middle or lower middle class, have many properties and are rich with assets. Senator Haseeb Khan, for example, has declared four houses (Rs7 million to Rs15 million). He has a share in a pharmaceutical company.

Rauf Siddiqui owns a plot worth Rs620,000, another worth Rs800,000, a house worth Rs15.4 million (owned by his father) and other assets worth Rs1.6 million. He has 120 tolas of gold (valued at Rs6 million) and Rs400,000 in prize bonds.

Provincial Election Commissioner Sono Khan Baloch told The Express Tribune that his department is reviewing the data and will publish it for the public.

He said that many parliamentarians don’t submit the real figures but the commission has no way of checking. “The voters living in their constituencies who have knowledge about their background and financial position can challenge whether they have submitted the genuine figures are not,” he said.

with writing by abul hasanat

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th,  2011.