ISLAMABAD, May 7: Noor Alam Khan of the PPP appears to be the richest member of the National Assembly with the value of his declared assets exceeding Rs32 billion — much more than the joint worth of the few other billionaires in the house.
According to the statement of assets and liabilities for 2010-11 submitted to the Election Commission, Noor Alam owns 200 acres of prime land in Peshawar valuing Rs160 million per acre. The value of the inherited land comes to Rs32 billion. His other assets include gold ornaments worth Rs11.6 million, two vehicles and a house. He has declared the value of furniture and articles of personal use at Rs1 million.
Talking to Dawn, the PPP leader said he did not want to lie to the people for fear of taxes and for other considerations. “This disclosure may even endanger my life, but I want to set an example.”
Other billionaires in the assembly include Mehboobullah Jan (PPP), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (PML-N) and Jehangir Khan Tareen.
The net worth of Mehboobullah Jan’s assets is Rs3.22 billion. He has declared the value of his family business of timber and construction at Rs2.2 billion. He owns plots of land, houses, a commercial building and agricultural land worth Rs1.19 billion. The value of three cars owned by his family is Rs7.6 million.
Next is Shahid Khaqan with assets of Rs2.19 billion. The Rs60 million he had invested in his airline has grown to Rs1.8 billion. He owns a house in Islamabad worth Rs200 million. His inherited property includes land in a Murree village worth Rs100 million and a hotel valued at Rs80 million.
The net worth of assets of former minister Jehangir Tareen, who resigned from the assembly after quitting the PML-F and joining the PTI, is around Rs1.18 billion. He owns a plot in Bani Gala, an under-construction building in Changla Gali, a house in Multan, an apartment in Gulberg, Lahore, agricultural land and a house in Lodhran and farm equipment.
The value of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s assets has exceeded Rs20 million for the first time during the period, reaching Rs21.09 million with the addition of three acres of agricultural land to his immovable property.
He purchased the land in Hamidpur Kanora area of Multan district for Rs4.8 million ‘out of savings’ and cash in hand. The value of his house in Multan increased from Rs6.3 million to Rs6.8 million. He had Rs8 million in cash and Rs5 million in a bank account in the previous year. According to the current declaration, he has Rs9.2 million in bank and no cash. He does not own a car.
The prime minister had declared his salary to be his only source of income in the previous declaration and claimed to have saved more than half of the salary of less than Rs1 million per annum. This time he has not mentioned his source of income and saving.
He has also avoided making public the assets in the name of his wife.
Arbab Alamgir Khan and Asma Arbab top the list of indebted MNAs with collective liabilities of Rs3.38 billion.
ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan owns assets worth over Rs30 million. He has declared the value of his inherited house as Rs3 million and 67 acres of agricultural land as Rs26.8 million.
The value of assets owned by PPP-S chief Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao is Rs218 million and his spouse Rs163 million.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman has assets of Rs5 million. He owns two houses in Dera Ismail Khan worth Rs2 million and Rs1 million and a Rs500,000 five-kanal plot, less than a million rupees in bank and no car.
His brother Attaur Rahman owns only one-fifth share in a house worth Rs100,000. He owns nothing else except furniture worth Rs20,000 and jewellery of his spouse. He has no bank account and no cash.
