PTI minister shares property tax bills of NY flat allegedly owned by Zardari

Published December 22, 2018
PTI is seeking Zardari's disqualification from the parliament over alleged concealment of assets. — File
PTI is seeking Zardari's disqualification from the parliament over alleged concealment of assets. — File

Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi on Saturday shared property tax statements of what the ruling PTI claims is a flat in New York owned but not declared by PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari.

Zaidi, whose party is seeking Zardari's disqualification from the parliament for concealment of assets, shared on Twitter the property tax statements of an apartment in the Manhattan borough of New York City. The documents shared bear the name "Asif A. Zardari".

Earlier this week, the PTI had filed an application with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in Karachi, seeking the disqualification of PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari for concealing his assets.

According to the application filed by PTI Sindh MPA Khurram Sherzaman with the Provincial Election Commissioner, Zardari had failed to declare the apartment he allegedly owns in the US in his nomination form for the 2018 general elections.

The PPP leader is a member of the National Assem­bly from NA-213, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sindh.

A document submitted with the application and obtained by Dawn shows an individual named Asif Ali Zardari as having an address at 524 East 72nd Street, New York, New York. A second document purports to show that one Ms Mehreen Shah was granted the power of attorney for the condo unit by the owner of the property.

The veracity of the documents could not be independently confirmed.

Although Provincial Election Commissioner Muhammad Yousaf Khan Khattak reluctantly accepted the application filed by Sherzaman, he informed the PTI MPA that any action on the petition would be taken by the ECP's Islamabad headquarters.

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