Asset declaration: Noor Alam richest lawmaker, Jamshed Dasti poorest

Many former MPs deny owning cars, while some state value of houses between Rs1m - 2m.

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday issued a list of assets declared by former members of the national and provincial assemblies, according to which Pakistan Peoples Party’s Noor Alam Khan is the richest lawmaker.

The billionaire club includes the PPP’s Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan (NA-2) and Mehboobullah Jan (NA-23) and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (NA-50) of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

Noor Alam Khan was declared as the richest MNA with over Rs32 billion worth of assets and Rs10 million worth of gold. However, it seems Khan is unaware of the worth of a Toyota Land Cruiser (model 2001) and another car he owns, as he refused to mention their price.

Similarly, Sajid Hussain Turi owns as many as 1,000 shops in Turi Market in Parachinar, but claimed that the value of his property was “unknown”.

Muhammad Noorul Haq Qadri, from Fata, owns white marble mines, agriculture land, commercial property, and 150 tola of gold but has stated he does not own a vehicle.

Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi of the PML-Q had declared that he owned 60 acres of agriculture land worth Rs366,667, which means the price of one acre is just Rs6,111. Similarly, he claimed his house located in Gulberg, a posh locality of Lahore, is worth Rs3.2 million and the one in Islamabad is worth Rs5.2 million.

Former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar has declared that she started The Polo Lounge with an amount of Rs1.12 million.

PPP MNA Jamshed Dasti was declared as the poorest MNA, owning nothing other than his MNA salary.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has a house in Faizabad, a farmhouse and nine residential flats in Rawalpindi, along with 700 canal properties worth Rs40 million and bank balance of Rs8.3 million.

Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf owns over Rs72 million worth of property and two cars of Rs1.8 million. He also revealed that his wife owns 0.4 million worth of gold and has yet to receive Rs8 million from his brother.

Former Deputy Speaker National Assembly Faisal Karim Kundi, according to the particulars submitted to the poll body, does not own a car.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman and his younger brother Maulana Attaur Rehman own 50 tola gold each. But both brothers said they do not own any vehicle irrespective of the fact they use only SUVs.

Raheela Baloch from PPP mentioned in her declaration that she owns five cows and nine buffalos.

‘PPP’s assets worth over Rs400k only’ Some of the country’s mainstream political parties cannot even afford to run the campaign of a single candidate – that is, if their officially stated financial status is to be believed.

The Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led Pakistan Peoples Party, which was registered at the ECP with the name of Pakistan Peoples Party-Parliamentarians has declared that the total worth of its assets is Rs435,397.

Details of assets and liabilities of political parties for the financial year 2011-12 were released by the Election Commission of Pakistan on Thursday.

It seems that either these parties do not maintain any financial records or, if they do, they never mention them in their statements, which they are legally bound to submit to the ECP every year.

The PPP, which governed the country during the past five years, claimed to have Rs5, 997 in the only account the party maintains with a private bank. The same amount carried forward in two years in the party’s account.

Former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf mentioned that the party has a total of Rs435,397 “cash in hand” as other assets. It has no moveable or immoveable property or any other asset at all anywhere in the world, according to the statement.

Among over 230 political parties registered with the ECP, only 77 submitted their asset details last year. Some of the lesser known parties filed blank statement, claiming had no assets at all.

The PML-Q in its closing balance mentioned that its total assets were worth Rs51.47 million. The PTI mentioned it had an income of Rs179.25 million during the year, while it spent Rs136.92 million.

Altaf Hussain’s Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) stated that it had an opening balance of Rs4.08 million at the start of financial year.

The Awami National Party claimed that the total worth of its asset was 36.95 million in 2012.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2013.