ISLAMABAD: Eleven sitting senators own 28 properties abroad while many others of them hold business capital and bank accounts in different countries.

A perusal of statements of assets and liabilities of senators for the financial year ending June 30, 2018 released by the Election Commission of Pakistan reveals that Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Khan Swati, who happens to be the richest senator with assets worth Rs1.84 billion in and outside Pakistan, owns 10 properties in the United States and the United Arab Emirates. The cost of his properties abroad has been put at Rs502 million, while he has a business capital of Rs448.8m abroad.

Two independent senators from the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas — Taj Afridi and Aurengzeb Khan — have four properties each and investments in the UAE.

Taj Afridi is one of the two declared billionaires in the Senate having assets worth Rs1.05bn. He holds assets worth over Rs157m abroad.

Richest senator Azam Swati owns 10 properties in the US and UAE

Aurengzeb Khan has investments in 11 companies in the UAE. His 10 properties in Pakistan include an 11-kanal residential house in Murree purchased for Rs70m. He appears to be a fortunate buyer as he was able to purchase a 10-kanal land in Bahria Town for just Rs1m in 2016.

PML-N Senator Rahila Magsi has one flat each in London and Dubai valuing Rs34.76m and Rs12.30m, respectively. She has liabilities of Rs3.89m in the United Kingdom. She has disclosed to have gifted a bungalow in Karachi measuring 1,000 square yards to her son Muhammad Mohsin, two months prior to the close of the financial year.

She had gifted a bungalow in Hyderabad cantonment measuring 3,592 square yards to her son in 2016, according to her previous year’s statement, but this time she has chosen not to mention the property in her statement. Interestingly, the same year she had gifted a bungalow in Chak Shahzad to her daughter Anna Faisal, but this year she has mentioned the property in her assets.

Shaheen Khalid Butt of the PML-N owns two properties in the United States. The present market value of the properties is stated to be $2.2m.

Senator Nuzhat Sadiq has declared a house in the US in the name of her spouse. The cost and market value of the property is stated to be Rs3.6m and Rs20m, respectively.

Former interior minister Rehman Malik owns a house in London, the cost of which has been put at 1.3 million pounds. The PPP senator has secured a mortgage of 1.1 million pounds. He has 53,520 dirhams in a joint account with his spouse at Dubai Islamic Bank. He is director of a UK-registered think tank Global Security Advisers. He holds shares in Green Plus worth 300,000 dollars. Her wife Dr Saeeda Iqbal is a shareholder in Peak Energy, UAE.

PTI Senator Mohammad Ayub, who owns assets worth around Rs950m, holds a house and a business in Dubai. He also has investment in the UK.

Senator Musadik Malik and his spouse have 25 per cent share each in an apartment in Bahrain. He has not disclosed who the holder of the rest of 50pc share is.

MQM Senator Barrister Saif has given an advance of equivalent to Rs1.4m for a studio apartment in Dubai.

Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar has 1/3rd share in a house in the UK. The cost of the share has been mentioned as Rs8.16m.

Law Minister Farogh Nasim has a business capital of Rs79.9m abroad. The total worth of his assets is over Rs480m — Rs117m in the form of cash and prize bonds and Rs215m in bank accounts.

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani owns a business company in Malaysia which, according to his statement, has not been operational since 2008. He has net assets worth Rs100m. His assets include over 23,000 kanals of agricultural land. His wife has gold jewellery weighing 1.5 kilograms.

Other senators who have a business capital abroad include Chaudhry Tanvir Khan of the PML-N, Atiq Sheikh of the MQM, Mir Kabir Shahi of the National Party and Shahzaib Durrani of the PML-N. PPP Senator Rubina Khalid has 40,000 pounds in a bank account in the UK.

Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandiwala is the owner of assets worth over Rs260m. Leader of the House in the Senate Shibli Faraz owns assets worth over Rs230m, which include over seven kilograms of gold ornaments.

Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq has assets worth over Rs10m.

JUI-F Senator Talha Mehmood owns assets over Rs330m, while PTI’s Faisal Javed, Dr Shehzad Waseem and Senator Waleed Iqbal own assets worth Rs18m, Rs330m and Rs130m, respectively.

PML-N senators Asif Kirmani and Mushahidullah Khan have assets worth over Rs40m and Rs24m, respectively.

Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani has assets worth Rs120m. PPP’s parliamentary leader in the Senate Sherry Rehman has assets worth Rs250m.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2019