ISLAMABAD: Former premier Imran Khan’s net worth is estimated to be around Rs315.95 million, according to documents he submitted alongside his nomination papers.

Meanwhile, PML-N leader Mary­­am Nawaz Sharif is close to becoming a dec­lared billionaire, with the total worth of her assets going over Rs850 million.

The submissions revealed that the former prime minister paid Rs15.59m income tax during the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2023, while his spouse, Bushra Bibi, paid Rs3.28m as tax on an income of aro­und Rs19.82m in the fiscal year 2022-23.

Mr Khan’s assets have grown from Rs38.69m declared in the submissions before the 2018 elections.

The statement of his assets and liabilities attached with his nomination papers showed that the ex-prime minister’s income in 2022 stood at Rs185.68m, apparently due to the sale of a watch gifted to him by a foreign dignitary. In the year before, his income was a little over seven million.

He paid 0.36m as income tax in 2021, Rs11.24m in 2022, and Rs3.28m in 2023.

He has over Rs90m in multiple bank accounts and over $300,000 in his foreign currency accounts.

He owns over a dozen properties, most of which, including a house in Lahore’s Zaman Park area, are inherited. Mr Khan has also paid an advance of Rs11.97m for a two-bed apartment on Islamabad’s Constitution Avenue. He has, once again, declared his Bani Gala house ‘a gift’, but mentioned an expenditure of 11.47m on it.

The former PTI chairman does not own a vehicle, as per his documents.

In 2021, the ex-PM declared assets worth over Rs141m to the Federal Board of Revenue. The value increased to over Rs320m a year later.

Maryam’s assets

Ms Sharif has declared the ownership of more than 1,500 kanals of agricultural land in different areas of Lahore, collectively valued at Rs842.58m.

A notable facet of the disclosure is her venture into the corporate sector. She owns 1.12m shares worth Rs12.1m in various companies — all pertaining to non-operational units.

Interestingly, Ms Sharif does not own any personal vehicle, which contrasts with her traditional displays of affluence. She owns gold worth Rs1.75m and holds over Rs10m in cash and various bank accounts.

This also contradicted the statement of assets and liabilities filed by her husband, retired Capt Mohammad Safdar, between 2012 and 2016. He stated that his spouse “Mariam Safdar” had a 2006 model BMW “received as a gift from UAE”. Its value was estimated at Rs6m.

According to her statement, Ms Sharif doled out loans of Rs6.75m to Swift Energy Pvt Ltd and claimed Rs1.76m as income tax refund.

Incidentally, the other difference in the statement of assets submitted with the nomination papers is that she has mentioned the name of Mr Safdar as her husband in the ‘Father’s/Husband’s name’ column, where she had written the name of her father, Nawaz Sharif, in 2017. The statement showed her assets increased by Rs4m in the year ending on June 30, 2023.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2024