Islamabad: The latest asset disclosures by Pakistan’s politicians running in the upcoming elections reveal their lavish lifestyles.
The disclosures have revealed that young Bilawal Bhutto is a billionaire while his father and former President Asif Ali Zardari has assets worth around 758.66 million Pakistani rupees (Dh23 million).
Pakistan gets first women lead of opposition
Bhutto's untested son takes up his Pakistani destiny
Who are the main players in Pakistan's July election
Maryam Nawaz, daughter of three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has 845 million rupees to her name.
The details of candidates’ assets and their affidavits have been made public to help voters hold their leaders accountable.
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) spokesperson Nadeem Qasim has confirmed that the asset details of every candidate will be published on the ECP website within the next few days to ensure transparency and accountability in the 2018 elections.
Bilawal the billionaire
Bilawal, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), is a billionaire who reportedly owns about two dozen properties in and outside Pakistan, as well as investments and bank accounts in Dubai and the UK. Bilawal claim to have assets worth 1.5 billion rupees, according to a report published in English daily, The News. His bank accounts hold nearly 13.86 million rupees while he is the owner of two villas in Dubai, one gifted and the other inherited.
According to Dawn News, Bilawal has 20 residential, commercial and agricultural properties across Pakistan, mostly inherited or gifted to him by his parents and his grandfather, in addition to another 22 inherited investments in Dubai and one in the UK.
Zardari’s assets
Zardari, Bilawal’s father and former Pakistan president, listed his total assets at around 758.66 million rupees.
Zardari disclosed that he uses six bulletproof luxury vehicles — three Toyota Land Cruisers, two BMWs and one Toyota Lexus. He also owns thousands of acres of agricultural land, as well as property in Dubai. He added that he has spent millions of rupees on his passion for arms, horses and livestock, according to local media reports citing his asset details provided in the nomination papers.
He also reportedly possesses UAE work permit.
He possesses arms and ammunition worth 16.60 million rupees while the value of his horses and cattle has been listed at 9.9 million rupees, media reports claim.
Zardari declared that he owns just a single property outside Pakistan — in the Al Safa Second area of Dubai — contrary to the claims of his political opponents that he owns palaces in France and Dubai and UK. He also owns a dozen properties in Pakistan.
Maryam’s assets
Maryam Nawaz, Sharif’s daughter, disclosed that she is worth 845 million rupees, according to her affidavit, which was submitted together with her nomination papers.
Maryam, who is running for NA-125, NA-127 and the PP-173 constituencies of Lahore, is also a shareholder of Chaudhry Sugar Mills Limited, Hamza Spinning Mills Limited, Muhammad Buksh Textile Mills Limited, Hudabiya Papers Mills Limited and Hudabiya Engineering Co Private Limited.
She revealed that she has spent about 6.4 million rupees on foreign trips in the last three years.
