‘Millionaires Gilani, Shahbaz have no cars of their own’

Islamabad, The annual declaration of assets and liabilities to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has shown that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif have no cars of their own.

Even with assets worth Rs 20 million, Gilani has said he does not own a car. According to his declaration, the only business transaction he had during the whole year was the purchase of three acres of agriculture land in Multan, priced at Rs 4.8 million. Gilani claimed that he purchased this land out of savings, reports The Express Tribune.

The assets declared by one of his sons, Abdul Kadir Gilani, a member of the Punjab Assembly, however, are much more than Gilani’s.

Abdul Kadir Gilani owns several properties and vehicles, and an imported bulletproof vehicle, which according to his declaration, is valued at Rs 12.8 million.

Gilani, however, avoided making the assets of his spouse public.

Shahbaz, whose assets have witnessed an increase of over 100 percent during fiscal 2011-12, owns assets worth Rs 210.4 million. According to his declaration, he owns only a Land Cruiser, and that too a gift.

Hamza Shahbaz, the son and political heir of Shahbaz Sharif, owns assets worth Rs 213.7 million, while his wife Mehrunissah Hamza owns assets worth Rs 2.5 million.

Still, the declared value of his own assets is less than the value of assets he declared for one of his wives, Nusrat Shahbaz, who is a housewife.

Noor Alam Khan, a PPP member of the National Assembly from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is apparently the richest parliamentarian in the country with assets worth over Rs32 billion.

Other billionaires in the parliament include Mehboobullah Jan (PPP), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (PML-N) and Jehangir Khan Tareen (PTI).