PPP`s Noor Alam Khan richest member of outgoing Pak parliament

Islamabad: Noor Alam Khan of the Pakistan People`s Party was the richest member of the outgoing parliament with assets of Rs 32 billion while his colleague Jamshaid Dasti is the poorest, according to data released by the Election Commission.

Khan, who has several properties in the northwestern city of Peshawar, was declared as the richest parliamentarian, thanks to his assets, including gold worth Rs 10 million and a Toyota Land Cruiser. Dasti, a PPP leader from Punjab and a fierce critic of former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, was the poorest lawmaker with no known assets or wealth, according to figures released by the poll panel yesterday. The club of billionaire lawmakers includes Arbab Alamgir Khan and Mehboobullah Jan of the PPP and PML-N`s Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who owns a private airline and has assets worth Rs 2.3 billion. Former premier Raja Pervez Ashraf has assets worth Rs 212.75 million. The Election Commission compiled the data from statements of assets and liabilities for 2011-2012 that were submitted by members of the Senate or upper house of parliament and the recently dissolved National Assembly or lower house. Former Interior Minister Rehman Malik owns a house in London worth Rs 339.75 million, a BMW sports car worth 27,000 pounds, shares worth USD 300,000 in a business and another business that is in his wife`s name. He also owns 40 kanals of agricultural land worth Rs 10 million in Sialkot district, and a flat in Karachi worth Rs 1.05 million. Apart from Rs 825,839 in his bank account, Malik also owns gold valued at Rs 2.75 million. Former Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh owns a house in Dubai worth 3.2 million dirhams and his other assets and cash are worth Rs 45 million. Lawmaker Sajid Hussain Turi owns 1,000 shops in Turi Market in the restive Kurram tribal region while senior PML-N leader Ishaq Dar, the Leader of Opposition in the Senate, has 15,779 dirhams in banks, owns a house worth Rs 45 million in Lahore and six acres of land in Punjab valued at Rs 14.5 million. The data indicated that many lawmakers own properties abroad. Gul Mohammad Lot and his wife own nine properties worth Rs 659 million in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and London. Gulzar Ahmad Khan, the former minister for investment, was among the lawmakers with the greatest debts. He had financial liabilities of Rs 197 million and only Rs 1.35 million in cash. Former deputy premier Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has assets worth Rs 202 million while former Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, has 13 plots, a residence, a farmhouse, 682 kanals of agricultural land and Rs 9.5 million in cash. The erstwhile ruling Pakistan People`s Party, registered with the Election Commission as the PPP-Parliamentarians, stated that its total assets are worth only Rs 435,397. The PML-Q said its total assets were worth Rs 51.47 million while Imran Khan`s Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf declared an income of Rs 179.25 million and expenses of Rs 136.92 million. Out of over 230 political parties registered with the poll panel, only 77 submitted details of their assets. PTI