ISLAMABAD: Many members of the Sindh Assembly who hail from remote and underdeveloped areas possess significant wealth, according to details of their assets they provided to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

The most senior member of the assembly is 82-year-old Syed Murad Ali Shah, who has submitted to the ECP a list of 27 properties and some 31 ancestral plots. The properties he says he owns include one house each in Clifton and DHA, Karachi, and an apartment in Hyderabad.

The other properties he owns are mostly in his native areas, such as five ‘non-functioning’ cinema houses, commercial markets, ice factories, a cotton mill and a petrol pump, all valued at only about Rs13.88 million.

Mr Shah, an MPA from PS-34, Naushahro Feroze, has declared that he owns six pieces of agricultural land but apart from him the other owners are dead. He has eight vehicles, including two tractors, Rs3.65m in banks and also owns weapons worth Rs1.2m.

In his asset statement, Sharjeel Memon has mentioned no source of income, but he and his wife own properties in UAE

The youngest MPA is 28-year-old Abbas Jafri, who lives in a 120-yard house that belongs to his father, and the worth of his shares comes to around Rs5m. He has Rs2.42m in cash or in bank accounts, and has made investments worth Rs200,000 in prize bonds.

Mukesh Kumar Chawla, who occupies a seat reserved for minorities, has declared that he possesses arms and ammunition worth Rs1.5m.

Mr Chawla, a resident of DHA, Karachi, has several properties in the country worth Rs10.72m; however, his business is valued at Rs535m.

He has made an investment of Rs5m in prize bonds and has Rs1.97m in cash or in bank. The value of his household items is Rs2m and the estimated value of the jewellery owned by his wife is Rs1.97m.

Giyanoo Mal, one of only two non-Muslims to occupy general seats in the house, is another rich legislator, with a net worth of around Rs426m.

Mr Mal, the MPA from PS-81, Jamshoro, owns a spinning mill and a wine business worth Rs415.41m. He has Rs8.50m in cash or in bank and his family has jewellery worth Rs1.3m.

However, he does not own any car or motorcycle, as per his statement of assets.

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, an MPA from Jamshoro, owns one house in DHA, Karachi, worth Rs11.5m and the two plots owned by his daughter are valued at Rs30m. He also has more than 51 acres of agricultural land in Sehwan which has been gifted to him by his father.

Mr Shah has no investments or businesses inside or outside the country, and has not shown any major source of income. However, the chief minister has Rs43.48m in bank accounts and Rs150,000 in cash.

He owns two luxury vehicles valued at Rs14.2m, while the family has 100 tola gold and Rs3m worth of household items. He owns no weapons or other expensive assets.

One of the richest MPAs is Ali Hassan of PS-78, Thatta, with a net worth of around Rs538.8m. In his previous declaration, his total worth was put at Rs480m.

He has hundreds of acres of agricultural land in Shaheed Benazirabad and Thatta districts, apart from several commercial and residential properties.

Mr Hassan owns cattle and other animals valued at Rs15.8m and other agricultural and relevant installations worth Rs21.42m. He has more than Rs216m in cash or in bank. He also owns weapons worth Rs1.7m.

Another rich MPA is former president Asif Ali Zardari’s sister Faryal Talpur, whose net worth is Rs396.36m. She also has weapons worth Rs1.48m, whereas her spouse Mir Munawar Ali Talpur, an MNA from Mirpurkhas, does not possess arms.

Former information minister Sharjeel Inam Memon is also a rich legislator. He and his wife own residential and commercial properties in Dubai worth around Rs170m, and his properties in Pakistan, including two houses in DHA, Karachi and agricultural land in Tharparkar, are valued at around Rs30m.

His business in the UAE is worth around Rs3m but Mr Memon has made no investments inside the country. He has not shown any source of income but he and his spouse have Rs95m cash in hand and Rs3.87m in bank.

The MPA from Kamber Shahdadkot, Mir Nadir Ali Magsi, and his family have a net worth of around Rs340.30m. They own a house in Miami, Florida, and a flat in the name of his wife and daughter in Dubai, valued at around 1.02m dirhams.

Mr Magsi and his family own 10 non-agricultural properties in Pakistan worth around Rs79.69m. The family has personal belongings including jewellery worth Rs9.5m.

Another rich lawmaker is Syed Firdous Shamim Naqvi, whose net worth is estimated at Rs334.08m. He owns five properties valued at Rs130.2m and prize bonds of Rs128.71m.

He has no asset or investment outside the country and his three businesses are worth Rs9.90m. His two cars are valued at Rs3.7m, and his family owns jewellery worth Rs5.82m. He has more than Rs44.39m in cash or bank.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2020