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ISLAMABAD: The new National Assembly has eight billionaires, including a Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmaker from Peshawar who is the wealthiest member with a net worth of more than Rs3.2 billion.
According to a report compiled by the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen), 35 legislators have criminal cases pending against them in various courts. Eighteen of them belong to the PTI, nine to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, five to the Pakistan Peoples Party and one each to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and the Balochistan Awami Party and an independent.
About wealthy MNAs, the report said that four billionaires belonged to the PTI, two to the PML-N and one each to the PPP and the Awami National Party.
The report is based on information contained in Form B and affidavits annexed to the nomination papers submitted by the candidates to the Election Commission of Pakistan for the 2018 general elections.
Fafen has converted the values in foreign currency in Pakistani rupees at the rate applicable on Aug 13.
Noor Alam Khan, a PTI MNA from Peshawar, tops the list with assets worth over Rs3.2bn followed by Ehsanul Haq Bajwa, a PML-N lawmaker from Bahawalnagar, who has the net worth of Rs2.30bn.
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who has been elected from from NA-200 in Larkana, also made to the list with assets and cash worth Rs1.54bn.
PTI MNA from Karachi Najeeb Haroon has net worth of Rs1.32bn, while another PML-N MNA from Bahawalnagar, Noorul Hassan Tanvir, has assets valued at Rs1.25bn.
PTI’s Sher Akbar Khan, MNA from Buner, Yaqoob Shaikh from D.I. Khan and ANP’s Amir Haider Azam Khan have cash and other valuables worth over Rs1bn.
Five MNAs have assets worth less than Rs1 million. Two of them belong to the PTI, and one each to the PML-N, MQM-P and PPP.
Farrukh Habib, PTI MNA from Faisalabad, has net value of Rs932,945; while Zille Huma of the same party has Rs700,000.
Romina Khurshid Alam of the PML-N has Rs500,000; MQM-P’s M. Salahuddin, MNA from Hyderabad, has assets and cash worth only Rs800,178 and Nasiba Channa of the PPP has Rs340,500.
The Fafen report said 172 legislators are agriculturists or businesspersons by profession, 24 are landlords and 32 are full-time politicians, parliamentarians or political and social activists.
The new assembly has 13 medical doctors and 14 housewives, whereas five female legislators hold MPhil and PhD degrees compared to only one male.
Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2018
Comments (93) Closed
There is no single engineer in assembly this time
Four billionaires from PTI ? That can't be true. PTI is a party of very poor people. This is the party which not preaches but practices austerity. All the poor of the nation celebrating that their party PTI has won. 4 billionaires can't be right.
All these assets are under estimated ..
Actual must be multiple times more than the declared amount for most NA members. Where did BBZ get Rs 1.54 Billion from?
The rest will become billionaires in five years under PTI governance
Only Eight Billionairs!! Surprising. They must be the only ones telling the truth.
Many of the pmln and PPP are billionaires, just not declared wealth.
Believe me, 1 billion rupee= around $8.2M USD is absolutely nothing for these members. Many of them have hundreds of millions of dollars and a bunch are billionaires in DOLLARS.
Well done: 'whereas five female legislators hold MPhil and PhD degrees compared to only one male.'
As for the billionaires, they can safely hide behind Mr. Buzdar who has no electricity in his home, poor man.
Good for them billioners. If it is earned or inherited rightfully, lets wish them good luck. We know, it is possible to be rich and honest. So no need to suspect them all.
@RUMI I realize you still can’t believe your beloved gang of PML votes out of power.
How did election commission allow the MNA who are under criminal investigation to contest election ? And I am surprised IK had those folks contesting elections
I wonder what Bilawal does for earning that he is a billionaire !
@Orakzai PTI MNA from Karachi, Najeeb Haroon
Multiply by 10 atleast.
@RUMI dear report is based on assets declared by candidates.how can be wrong.
@RUMI you're living on earth, right?
@Rumi: Your sarcasm scares me!
Anyone who is poor?
@Orakzai No sir. Both Khurram Dastgir and Ahsan Iqbal are engineers.
Out of the 35 lawmakers that have criminal cases pending against them, 18 are in PTI! At least PTI has a majority in the assembly in this category.
@Orakzai . Najeeb Haroon from Karachi won on PTI ticket as MNA.
Asif Zardari may be sorry he named a specific figure.
As long as these billions are earned with honesty than there is no harm done.
What about Zardari, and Shahbaz's assets? Don't you think they are billionaires? Or, are they too poor?
This doesn't mean other parties or people other than MNAs or MPA s do not have money. Only one thing is to wonder that Pakistan has hell of money or maybe we can say only few are blessed skyhigh while others are reeling in abject poverty. Either the system is wrong or the people who make systems. In short, despite having all what can make aplace progressive, we are under heavy loans. What a pity.
Bilawal has not worked for a single day yet he is a billionaire. Imran does not need to think about this one but hold him accountable as to where he cost all this money.
No harm for being a Billionaire. If it is Halal and hard earned and if it is in Pakistan.
Why don't PTI billionaires contribute to Bhasha Dam? Why don't they open free schools for needy and orphans? Charity begins at home, unless these people start good work others will not do it.
@RUMI who said that. PTI is party of people from all facet of life. PTI claims to believe in openness, therefore you are seeing this info that you never saw before. Does it not surprise you that Shahbaz Sharif is not in that list.
under the present aristocracy-designed electoral system only billionaires and millionaires can make it to the parliament. if pti is a party of the"poor" then it will reform it to afford due share of power to the low income/common people through inter alia a fair distribution wealth.
This information on assets of Parliamentarians is not correct and it will never be correct. We have not reached a stage of honesty as yet where we shall be declaring our assets, as they are, honestly.
Second, it is not possible for people in Pakistan to contest elections with limited assets or resources. If a Parliamentarian who has contested election with low assets, I won't believe him/her.
Third, there is no need for the media to publicize assets of Parliamentarians for public consumption. How many from amongst the readers would like to share information on their assets with the public?
And assets means bank accounts, cash, movable property and immovable property etc.
PTI is not the party of poor. It is the party of those who care for the poor more than the previous governments. Being a billionaire or rich is not wrong. As long as they earned money rightly, declared their assets and paid their taxes. More they earn, more tax they pay, which is good if used efficiently for the benefit of poor. Hope the PTI government does what it claims. We have high hopes.
Where did the young Bilawal make all this money from? Which business did he run? Ahh of course, his father was President of Pakistan: a money making position.
@RUMI Being well off is not s sin , as long as u fulfill ur obligations towards the poor and less privileged, there were very rich people amongst the Ashra e mubbashira!!
What about Zardari? Shahbaz Shariff? The list is either inaccurate or incomplete.
What about Nawaz Sharif's, Asif Zardari's and Isaq Dar's overseas assets, properties and businesses - it must be in billions!
@RUMI - as usual, you are always negative, pessimistic and spread useless speculations. I say to you and your associates: grow up, accept ground realities and stop supporting losers who looted tax payers money. PMLN's narrative is clearly rejected by public and voted for honest, dedicated team and new vision that is eager to work hard for ordinary people. Stop mourning and come out of your cookoo land!
I think these are the people who declared their assets. No Zardari in there and we all know that guy is loaded!.
That's a good sign ..... at least they are declaring their wealth, not like in the past where they were billionaires but all their wealth was hidden abroad in their children's or others names.
@Orakzai A fun comment, but dont you think that 'this assembly' has been made by 'political engineers'?
@Orakzai najeeb haroon from Karachi is a civil engineer, have studied at NED University in Karachi and Oregon state university in US. He also deliver lectures in NedUET from time to time.
Billionaires in terms of Rupee means they are not even millionaires in terms of dollars.
How about justifying the assets? Adiala anyone?
In line with the character of leaders of other parties, they have undeclared wealth worth billions.
I know of one more our Chaudhury Sarwar who is a millionaire in pound sterling, when converted into Pakistani Rupees will make him a billionaire
Am I surprised, no. PTI has richest members
How they reach assembly again to get more wealth
Billionaires in rupees is like peasants in dollars !!
@Suleman , neither Zardari nor Shahbaz Sharif - for that matter, also Imran - have ever declared their assets and wealth honestly.
@RUMI some people
Must be very wrong in this report, because assets of Zardari and Sharif are unimaginable
@RUMI
Do you even understand what 'Austerity' means? Stop throwing around terms without knowing what they mean. Austerity is about control of public expenditure and not related to personal wealth. Besides saving is one of becoming wealthy.
Infact, this report of "Fafen" is just the tip of the iceberg.
@RUMI PTI is party for the Poor people NOT a poor party
Billionaires in PTI! And 18 out of 35 legislators who have cases pending also belonging to this party! Not possible. This is the party of the poor and the oppressed and the PTI leaders have promised to root out corruption and the greedy. thanks so much for
First, these people mentioned here are not rich with such assets. I put them under upper middle class. Secondly, the rich people Pakistan should not be harassed in media, be respected in the society, they feel full security, and enjoy their full life in the country. They are the one (the middle class and the rich) who will help Pakistan to make the country a welfare state. Because they are one who will be paying taxes.
@Orakzai Najeeb Haroon mentioned in the above news article is one of the engineers elected in the assembly
So the most amount of billionaires are from IK party and he opts to live like a Prime Minister of a poor struggling country. Well actually the last part is very true. My apologies.
@RUMI PTI candidates are more truthful in declaring the assets versus majority from other parties.
@Anti-Corruption_Pakistani Kindly check the news this is abt parliament arians only. N declared assets We r missing ik in the list. With property of 250 kanal
More billionaires in Naya Pakistan!
@RUMI there are many members in PTI which belongs to a middle class. If you point out the glass is always empty then your doing no good.
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who has been elected from from NA-200 in Larkana, also made to the list with assets and cash worth Rs1.54bn. Right, and that's just what he claims, the hidden money is worth over a $BILLION.
@RUMI . Correction, PTI is not just a party of poor, its a party for the poor. PTI leaders, just like any other party, also consists of people/politicians, who happen to be rich.
Whats wrong with being a billionaire?? As long as it is not ill-gotten money why would the public hold it against them? It only shows that they have the skill set to succeed in business and they can do the same for the country!
@RUMI PTI is national party not for one particular class.
If out of 35 legislators having criminal cases pending against them in various courts, eighteen of them belong to the PTI and nine to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, then PTI is twice more criminal than PML(N). What is there in it to prove it will make a Naya Pakistan?
PTI members declared their assets because it was not earned through corrupt practices but on the other hand poor Shahbaz Sharif and Zardari didn’t even declare their net worth which exceeds billions of USD
Bilawal worth Rs1.54bn. Is this a joke? He probably has this much for pocket money each month.
@Orakzai
Engineer Khuram Dastgir (PML-N)
@Orakzai Engineer Najeeb Haroon is there
That signifies that this time people declared their assets truly....
@RUMI Being rich or having money through legal means is a not a bad, sinful or wrong thing. Having money by robbing the nation and plundering the govt treasury is wrong, sinful and bad.
There is nothing wrong with being wealthy as long as the wealth was acquired legitimately and taxes were paid on it. It's not that PML-N and PPP don't have wealthy people. Their wealth is mostly hidden abroad, and undeclared because it is acquired by corruption and no taxes were paid on it.
This list is incomplete. According to Wikipedia Imran Khan is a Billionaire. According to Wikipedia his wealth is Rs 1.4billions. He is mentioned among the richest Pakistanis in this list given by Wikipedia.
@RUMI Imran Khan has money too. As Fawad Chaudhry tels all of us repeatedly in TV afs when asked about source of income for --PTI. People make money when they speak, when they collect donations from very rich and all poors.
These are the crooks of Pakistan. Their only interest is to be rich 'at any cost'.
Bell the cat MNAs. Listen to your PM and donate your wealth to the state. Pakistan needs all the money to come out of present paucity of funds.
Please be patriotic.
Mian Imran Khan might follow suit and give his house to the nation. He built cancer hospital from his own money.
Take one step, he will take two.
@RUMI: You are wrong. PTI never claimed that they are party of poor. Imran initially appealed to rich, caring and honest to come out and serve the nation. Obviously, poor in Pakistani system could not even contest election, so one contesting election and working for poor has to be rich. There is one big difference between PTI and other parties.
In PTI, most who joined party were already rich and wanted to serve with honesty. In other parties, many were poor when joining the party, but once in power, used the party position to steel from Pakistan and exploit the poor to become rich. Some rich also joined party (or started party, like PPP) so that they increase their wealth further and today we have two richest Pakistani families, Zardaris (Bhuttos) and Sharifs, both families were family of crooks belonging to middle class.
@Dr NABEEL AFZAL The quesion is whether they are paying taxes honestly and contributing to the growth of the nation through their assets or not?
FAFEN report is correct
PTI billionaires will become 100 next 5 years.
@Orakzai Incorrect. Mr. Khurram Dastgir Khan is an Electrical Engineer ( MNA - NA 81).
Banigala and Raiwind are worth a few billions. How many other world leaders have such private residences? How about abandoning them first before the PM and Governor houses. These belong to the people not individuals and cannot be treated arbitrarily.
Interesting stats. What will be more interesting is to find out their assets AFTER they finish their term, especially the richer ones!
It is a pity that the Naya Pakistan assembly after the first day of its inauguration, has become a bigger than PML(N)'s absentee members' dead-house. How can this parliament work when it comprises only of seats without members sitting on them?
My only concern is how they got their billions and how are they using their money. If for charitable purposes well and good. Man comes empty handed on this earth and leaves empty handed.
It is because of a fundamental characteristic of the Pakistani brand of “democracy” - the utter non- implementation of the ceiling of election campaign expenditure. How many of the MNAs ended up spending up to four million on their campaigns and MPAs up to two million? Resultantly, the middle and lower classes are virtually booted out of political offices. Even the famous “chaiwala” MNA of PTI from KP has just declared assets of over 30 million. Hence “democracy” remains divorced from the masses in Pakistan – once they have voted and gone home.
@RUMI who said PTI is party of of comprising poor people ??
@Ahmed do you know anyone is innocent until proven guilty?
@Orakzai Dude Najeeb Haroon is an engineer and owns one of the biggest construction company in Pakistan
@RUMI : Nothing wrong with having billionaires in your party. Problems arise when the billionaires IN PAKISTAN join a party to become trillionaires. Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, both have indicated that they don't pay enough tax and are willing to pay more. I hope PTI billionaires feel the same way. I KNOW that the PML-N does not feel the same way. I also KNOW that PPP billionaires feel that they're starved for having their turn at the trough.