Pakistan poll panel reveals billionaire lawmakers
List of richest members of parliament includes at least 14 billionaires
Islamabad: The list of the richest members of Pakistan’s parliament is growing and now includes at least 14 billionaires. The wealthiest parliamentarians include businesspersons, landlords as well as those who inherited vast fortunes.
Rich members of Parliament
At least 12 out of the total 342 Members of the National Assembly (MNA) have declared that they own assets worth over a billion rupees, according to the statistics released by Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on assets held by MNAs for year 2019 and reported in Pakistani media. The billionaires include members from almost all the mainstream political parties, including ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) and Awami National Party (ANP).
Ehsan Bajwa – Rs4 billion (Dh93 million)
PML-N member from Bahawalnagar, Ehsan Bajwa, is reported to be the richest among the lawmakers having total assets worth more than Rs4 billion. He has business interests in the Gulf and owns houses there. The value of his agricultural property in Pakistan is about Rs249.5m and other properties worth Rs92m.
Noor Alam Khan – Rs3.2 billion
PTI lawmaker from Peshawar, Noor Alam Khan is the second richest lawmaker with a net worth over Rs3.2bn.
Arbab Umair - Rs2.56 billion
Arbab Umar Amir Ayub, PTI legislator from Peshawar, owns assets worth over Rs2.56bn. He owns 28 properties, including plots and farms valued at Rs2.4bn as well as five vehicles and around 5.83kg of gold.
Salik Hussain – Rs1.6 billion
Chaudhry Salik Hussain of PML-Q, son of former premier Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, has declared his assets to be Rs1.6bn. He holds shares worth millions in different industrial groups and Rs380.48m in bank accounts.
Bilawal Bhutto – Rs1.5 billion
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has a net worth of over Rs1.58 billion, making him the youngest politician to rank high in the list of country’s billionaire lawmakers. He owns 19 properties in Pakistan (over 200 acres of land), most of which are inherited or gifted. Bilawal reportedly has assets in the Gulf too.
Najeeb Haroon – Rs1.5 billion
PTI lawmaker Najeeb Haroon from Karachi is also a billionaire who owns assets worth Rs1.54bn. Haroon is among the highest tax paying parliamentarians who has paid Rs140m taxes in 2018.
The other billionaires in the National Assembly include:
- PML-Q’s Moonis Elahi
- ANP’s Amir Haider Azam Khan Hoti from Mardan
- PML-N’s Noorul Hasan Tanveer from Bahawalnagar
- PTI lawmaker Mohammad Yaqoob Sheikh from Dera Ismail Khan
- Minister for Energy Omar Ayub (Rs1.2 billion), PTI lawmaker from Haripur.
Asif Zardari – Rs676 million
Former president Asif Ali Zardari has declared his assets to be Rs676.87 million. He owns thousands of acres of agricultural land besides properties in the Gulf. He possesses over a dozen properties in Pakistan besides shares in assets that he inherited from his deceased wife and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
Shahbaz Sharif – Rs247 million
Leader of the opposition Shahbaz Sharif has a net worth of Rs247m. He has more than 83 acres of agricultural land and one house in London. He owns two vehicles and Rs21.9m in bank accounts.
PM Imran Khan’s assets
Prime Minister Imran Khan owns assets worth over Rs80 million, reporting a 26 per cent decline since last year. He has combined deposits of $331,230 and £518 in foreign accounts. However, he does not have any business at home or abroad and does not own any vehicle in his name.
Pakistan’s wealthiest Senators
Senator Taj Mohammad Afridi, a Karachi-based businessman, is the richest senator of Pakistan with a net worth of Rs1.22 billion, according to the details of assets released by ECP for the year 2019. Afridi, who hails from the FATA region, is the chairman of Al-Haj group of companies also involved in oil and gas exploration. He holds assets valued at Rs167m in the Gulf.
The second top billionaire in the upper house of parliament is Federal Minister for Narcotics Control, Senator Azam Khan Swati with net worth of Rs1.2bn as reported and 10 properties valued Rs700m in the United States and abroad.
Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq has been declared the poorest member of the Senate with 12 kanals of inherited land and a business worth more than Rs361,000 only.
Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani has assets worth Rs106 million while the Leader of the House in Senate Dr Shahzad Waseem has assets valued at Rs202 million.
PPP Senator Rehman Malik has disclosed his overseas assets worth 1.3 million British pounds.
Another PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar owns immovable property worth more than Rs120 million.
According to reports, Deputy Chairman of Senate Saleem Mandviwalla has assets worth Rs67.7 million, Federal Law Minister Farogh Naseem Rs390 million, Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz Rs40 million and Senator Faisal Javed around Rs10 million. Senator Abdul Karim owns more than Rs200 million in asset, Senator Salahuddin Tirmizi owns assets worth over Rs193.5 million, Senator Abdul Qayyum owns assets worth over Rs86.4 million, and Senator Muzaffar Hussain Shah has Rs30 million.