**Eight senators own property abroad
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**ISLAMABAD, March 18: Pakistan’s enterprising politicians have manifold interests, besides politics not only at home but also all over the globe.
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According to statements of assets and liabilities for 2010-2011 submitted to the election commission, at least eight members of the Senate own assets, including residential property and capital investments of millions of dollars in different countries.
Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Finance Minister, owns a house in Dubai worth Rs70.5 million and has brought remittances of $375,000 (about Rs30 million). He holds Rs27.5 million in his bank accounts in Washington and Dubai and has declared the total worth of his three properties in Punjab and Sindh at Rs7.3 million. He does not own a car. He sold two luxury cars – a BMW and a Mercedes – in 2010 at an estimated value of Rs10.5 million.
Rehman Malik, Interior Minister, has written ‘no change since last declaration’ on all the pages of the statement submitted by him, indicating that he has not gained or lost anything over the past year. He owns a house in London worth Rs339.75 million and has capital investment in his own name and in that of his wife in four businesses abroad, including Shaffaf International, DM Digital World, SR Foods Limited and Green Plus, but has not mentioned the value of capital invested in the first three ventures. He holds shares of $300,000 in Green Plus. The worth of his property in Pakistan, including 40 kanals agricultural land in Daska and Sialkot and a flat in DHA Karachi, has been declared to be Rs10.06 million.
Babar Khan Ghauri, Minister for Ports and Shipping**, ** has a capital investment of 150,000 dirhams (around Rs3.7 million) in Dubai. The worth of his assets in Pakistan, including five properties in Karachi, is around Rs56 million.
Babar Awan, former law minister, owns a property in Spain worth Rs20 million. The net worth of his assets is around Rs360.65 million. He holds Rs77.80 million in cash and Rs9.7 million in bank. His four cars are worth a little over Rs5.2 million.
Gul Mohammad Lot, Senator, owns a number of properties in the UAE and has Rs230 million investment in a factory in Saudi Arabia. A flat in London is jointly owned by him and his sons. The worth of his assets in and outside Pakistan is Rs1.115 billion.
Ishaq Dar, the Leader of Opposition in the Senate, owned a villa in Dubai worth Rs89 million, but he gifted it to his sons. He brought remittances of 0.7 million dirhams (around Rs16.2 million). He owns a house worth Rs45 million in Gulberg, Lahore, and six acres of land valued at Rs14.5 million in Punjab. Both the properties had been purchased with overseas remittances.
Abdul Nabi Bangash owns a house in Ajman (UAE) worth Rs15 million. The value of his capital investment in two businesses in Dubai is Rs180 million. He owns a Range Rover there. He has also declared that assets valuing Rs70 million had been remitted to Pakistan during the year.
Adnan Khan owns HFM general trading company in Dubai, with a capital investment of Rs6.4 million. He has chosen not to mention the market value of the business in his statement.
Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, the new Chairman of the Senate and his family own significant properties in and around Islamabad. He purchased a commercial plot in I&T centre G-9/4 sector of Islamabad for Rs370,000. Its current worth is Rs15 million. Another plot he had purchased for Rs1.8 million is now worth Rs15 million. He inherited 236 kanals of land worth Rs23.6 million in Haripur district. He purchased 231 kanals of land in Jandala village for Rs2.3 million which is now worth Rs23.1 million, while another 20 kanals of land in Tarlai village that he purchased for Rs15 million is still worth the same amount. His wife partly owns CNG stations in Haripur and Attock districts.
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has declared that his 50 per cent share in two residential houses, located in expensive neighbourhoods in Islamabad and Lahore, is worth Rs5.2 and Rs3.4 million, respectively. He did not give the current value of the property.He owns 78 acres of agricultural land worth Rs376,667 and 12.5 acres worth Rs4.5 million. The value of both the properties has been determined at cost at the time of purchase. He has stock shares worth Rs10.04 million and Rs53.90 million cash in hand. He does not own a car.
Gulzar Ahmad Khan, who till recently had the distinction of being a member of the upper house along with his sons Waqar Ahmad Khan and Ammar Ahmad Khan, tops the list of indebted lawmakers in the house. He has financial liabilities of Rs1.97 billion with the net worth of his declared assets (which include land in DI Khan and cash in hand and in bank accounts) at only around Rs3 million. Ammar Ahmad Khan, who recently retired from the Senate, has liabilities of Rs1.153 billion. He has declared the worth of investment in WAK Group at Rs1.107 billion. He owns parts of four properties in Gulberg, Lahore, valuing Rs43 million and investment of Rs4.5 million in stocks.
Waqar Ahmad Khan, former minister for investment, also has liabilities of Rs8.8 million while the declared value of his assets is around Rs9.6 million.
Dr Asim Hussain, Petroleum Minister, has assets worth Rs70.44 million. He has six properties in Karachi and one in Lahore worth Rs52.59 million, investments in shares and stocks worth Rs41.53 million and almost Rs7 million cash in banks. He has loans of Rs34.61 million in the name of Ziauddin Hospital and Ziauddin Enterprises.
Talha Mahmood has property worth Rs90.60 million, vehicles worth Rs21.81, around Rs15.34 million cash in banks and other assets worth Rs11.49 million. His liabilities are Rs125.47 million and net worth is around Rs13.77 million.
Mir Israrullah Khan Zehri has one of the largest land ownings among Senators because his family owns land in Kalat, Khuzdar, Naseerabad, Lasbela, Jhal Magsi, Gwadar and Thatta and one bungalow in Quetta and another in Karachi. He has two SUVs and Rs3.6 million in banks.
Rashid Ahmed Khan has declared the value of his assets as ‘unlimited – it has no limit’. The assets are coal and soapstone mines and agricultural land. Besides, he has 20 tolas of gold valued at Rs1 million and Rs300,000 cash in banks. He has transferred assets of Rs500,000 to another person, without providing details.
Dawn
Ma’shaAllah, who says Pakistan is a poor country? :hmmm: … All we need to know is that the only business which is thriving in Pakistan is politics.
