An independent candidate contesting from NA-182 and PP-270 in Muzaffargarh has declared around Rs403 billion in assets, it emerged on Saturday.

The candidate, Mohammad Hussain Shaikh, claims that he owns land comprising almost 40 per cent of Muzaffargarh city as well as the Lang Malana, Taliri, Chak Taliri and Latkaran areas.

He claims that the land had previously been disputed, but a Supreme Court bench comprising the chief justice, Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Umar Atta Bandial recently decided in his favour in a case that had went on for around 88 years.

While talking to DawnNewsTV, Shaikh said that the land owned by him was worth approximately Rs403.11 billion. His nomination papers, a copy of which is available with DawnNewsTV, also state the worth of the previously disputed land at between Rs300 and Rs400 billion, in addition to other pieces of land valued in tens of millions of rupees.

Shaikh is now the richest candidate according to details of assets declared in the nomination papers that have come forward so far.

Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Asif Ali Zardari have all declared assets worth hundreds of millions of rupees. PML-N's Amir Muqam and PPP's Arbab Alamgir have also declared assets worth billions.