Thumbnail sketch of a few rich senators

[LahoreEstate]

Sunday, February 01, 2009

By Mumtaz Alvi

ISLAMABAD: The majority of senators is extremely rich as per the statement of assets and liabilities published in the Gazette of Pakistan, a copy of which is available with The News.

Some of the richest senators include Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Federal Minister for Science and Technology Azam Swati, Lt-Gen (retd) Javed Ashraf Qazi, Muhammad Ishaq Dar of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and M Ilyas Bilour of the Awami National Party (ANP).

Maulana Rahat Hussain of the JUI-F has no movable or immovable property within or outside Pakistan. However, he owns a car valuing Rs 0.7 million; seven Tola gold; Rs 146,000 cash; and furniture worth Rs 50,000.

Azam Swati has two towers under construction in the UAE worth 12 million Dirhams and miscellaneous business property worth Rs 8 million Dirhams. He has different properties in the US, the total value of which has been given as $ 1,640,000.

In the liabilities column, the minister has owes loans to banks in the US worth $ 1,100,000. Back in Pakistan, he has property worth Rs 35 million at the Workshop Road; a house in Abottabad worth Rs 0.7 million; nine plots in Bahria Town, Rawalpindi worth Rs180 million; eight plots in the ToP City, having a value of Rs 10 million; one plot at the Senate Colony worth Rs 1 million; a plot at the Parliamentarian Enclave worth Rs 0.4 million; inherited property of Rs 0.5 million; and 100-kanal piece of land at Bangu in Attock worth Rs 20 million. He has cash worth millions of rupees in banks as well.

Javed Ashraf Qazi owns a Corolla 2006 model. But he has a long list of property owned by his spouse and daughter. He has a house at the Defence Housing Colony, Phase-I, Rawalpindi worth Rs 5 million; 50 per cent share of the House No 9, Askari Villas, Lahore worth Rs3 million; a plot at Sector C, Morgah worth Rs 2 million; a plot at the Defence Housing Scheme, Phase-2, Rawalpindi worth Rs 1 million; another plot at the Sangjani AWT Housing Scheme worth Rs 0.6 million; 50 per cent share of his spouse in the House No 9 in the Lahore Askari Villas worth Rs 3 million; and he also has a house at 113-A, Shami Road, Lahore Cantt worth Rs 4 million in his daughter’s name.

The former minister and head of the ISI also has a share in ancestral land: 50 kanal in Misrial, Rawalpindi worth Rs 0.5 million. He has 0.45 million in his account in the Askari Bank, Rawalpindi and Rs 32,000 in the NBP Cantt Branch, Rawalpindi.

In the foreign exchange column, the ex-minister has a balance of $ 20,000 in the ABN Amro Bank, Islamabad and $ 25,000 in the Askari Bank AWT Branch, Rawalpindi. Moreover, he has a fixed deposit of Rs 2 million in the Army Welfare Scheme, AG Branch, GHQ. He has Defence Saving Certificates of Rs 1,500,000, and jewellery worth Rs 2 million (owned by his spouse). He has Rs 60,000 cash in hand and Rs 0.5 million cash in a bank. His furniture, fittings and other articles of personal use are worth Rs 1,300,000.

Ilyas Bilour’s immovable property is valued at Rs 53,148,659 and movable property at Rs 118,100,954. In the liabilities column, there is loan from the Ilyas Bilour Flour and General Mills and another from Ghazanfar Bilour of Rs 450,000 and Rs 9,774,978, respectively. The details of the senator’s immovable property are: House No 19-A, Peshawar; four plots at the Parliamentarians Housing Society, Islamabad; Silver Oaks Apartments, Islamabad; a plot at Gwadar; and a plot at the Ring Road, Peshawar.

Former commerce minister Humayun Akhtar’s younger brother Haroon Akhtar has land holdings (including that of his spouse) worth Rs 35,011,211; quarter share in a house worth Rs 25,500,000; and agriculture equipment worth Rs 5,000,000. In the investment column, he has stock and share (including that of the spouse) worth Rs 259,572,563; unsecured loans worth Rs 241,637,233; jewellery valuing Rs 200,000; cash in hand of Rs 11,447,296; and cash in banks worth Rs 18,193,651. He shares these amounts with his spouse. But surprisingly, the column of motor vehicles is blank, meaning he does not own even a single car.

Ishaq Dar owns these immovable properties: 7-H Gulberg 3 Lahore worth Rs 35,000,000; land milot ISB worth Rs 6,000,000; land milot ISB (wife) worth Rs 6,000,000; land milot ISB worth Rs 1,250,000; and land milot ISB (wife) worth Rs 1,250,000. Outside Pakistan, the lawmaker, who has been finance minister during the PML-N government, has the following property: Hajveri Villa-E-144, Emirates Hills (down +37 installments) worth AED 7,044,361. In the movable assets column, Dar has Rs 14,298,400 (bank drafts and remittances). He has made investments worth millions of rupees. He owns a Land Cruiser, a Corolla and two Mercedes Benz cars.

He has investments in stocks and shares in the Hajveri Holding (Pvt) Ltd, the Sui Northern Gas, the First Punjab Modaraba and the Hajveri Holdings (Pvt) Ltd. In other deposit columns, Dar has mentioned having Rs 1,990,000 at the Bank Al-Falah Housing Society (three kanals), Parliamentarians Enclave (2 kanals), Rs 1,700,000 and Rs 445,700 at the Senate Sectt Employees Cooperative Housing Society.

The outgoing Chairman of Senate owns a Toyota car worth Rs 350,000 and jewellery worth Rs 892,324. He also has immovable property worth Rs 4,689,000. He owns Flat B-305, Premier Arcade Clifton Karachi (Rs 6,000,000), House-92 Canal Park, Lahore (Rs 18,00,000), Flat D-8, Akbar Aptt Bleak House Road, Karachi Cantt (gifted from mother, hence no value has been given), agriculture land 62.2 acres and another piece of 90 acres of land in Ahmedpur (Rs14,23,000) besides having agriculture land in Khanpur and Shikarpur (gifted by mother).

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