Four out of 15 PM aides hold foreign nationalities, reveal documents

(Karachi) The Pakistan government has placed the assets and nationalities of all special assistants to prime minister and advisers on the website of Cabinet division as instructed by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The list, however, does not include Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood.

The government declared the assets of its advisors and SAPMs over growing concern and calls by opposition parties.

As per details, the government has issued asset details of 15 advisors and special assistants in the federal cabinet. It transpired that four of the advisors and special assistants of the cabinet possess dual nationality.

They include SAPM to PM on Digital Pakistan Tania Adrius, Special Assistant to PM on Minerals and Marketing Shahzad Qasim, SAPM to PM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar and SAPM to PM for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfi Bukhari.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill holds Green Card.

The details of their assets is as follows:

Sania Nishtar

SAPM on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation with the status of Federal Minister Dr Sania Nishtar has declared that she has joint inherited property of 9.6 marlas in Peshawar, a Honda Civic car in the name of her spouse, jewellery worth Rs500,000 and unsecure loans owing of Rs2,396,570. In a total of five bank accounts -- three in her spouse’s name and a student account which was closed in 2011 -- the couple have a total amount of Rs14,810,846. She has no property or assets and business capital in and outside Pakistan.

Shahzad Akbar

SAPM on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar statement of assets and liabilities states that he along with his spouse has immovable property worth Rs13,310,000. He owns properties in Islamabad and Gujjar Khan. He also owns two cars bought in 2015 and 2016. The statement reveals that Akbar’s spouse has an inherited property – a flat – in Spain. His moveable assets are worth Rs52,569,783.

Zulfi Bukhari

Special Assistant Zulfi Bukhari holds British nationality, and does not own any property in Pakistan. However, he has properties worth millions of rupees in London. Bukhari’s assets include over 1,300 kanals of land in Attock, 34 plots in Islamabad’s Sector C-16, a flat in London, shares in multiple companies located abroad, a Toyota Land Cruiser worth Rs200,000,000, a Bentley worth £245,000, Range Rover worth £135,000, two Mercedes worth £199,391; 150 tolas of gold held by himself and jewellery worth £150,000 held by his wife and multiple bank accounts in Pakistan and the UK.

Zafar Mirza

SAPM on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination with the status of Minister of State Zafar Mirza has a house and two plots worth Rs35 million, gold worth Rs2 million and cash amounting to roughly Rs1.8 million.

Usman Dar

SAPM on Youth Affairs Usman Dar has investments in shares in nine companies worth Rs20,116,600, business capital in Pakistan worth Rs6,675,561, bank balance of Rs711,133, and inheritance shares to be transferred in his name from his deceased father in land measuring 40 kanals in Murree and a two-kanal house in Sialkot.

Shehzad Arbab

SAPM on Establishment with the status of Federal Minister Mohammad Shehzad Arbab has immovable property worth Rs100,490,000, and a total bank balance of Rs5,768,440.

Moeed Yusuf

Dr Moeed Yusuf is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning with the status of Minister of State. Documents showed that Dr Yusuf has total assets worth Rs113.76 million. He has land worth Rs25.6 million and stocks worth more than Rs600,000. Dr Yusuf owns two cars, an Audi A3 worth Rs4.22 million and a Morris Car which was gifted, bringing the total valuation of the vehicles to Rs8.54 million. He has Rs1.03 million cash in hand and Rs73.26 million at the bank.

Nadeem Afzal Chan

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Coordination Nadeem Afzal Chan has agricultural property valuing Rs7,884,000; residential property worth Rs9,490,000; Rs2,500,000 business capital in Pakistan, remittance amounting to Rs3,200,000, gifts worth Rs3,800,000 and other assets worth Rs12,184,100 along with cars.

Shahzad Syed Qasim

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Minerals and Marketing Shahzad Qasim has multiple properties, bank accounts and vehicles in and outside Pakistan.

Ali Nawaz Awan

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Capital Development Authority Affairs Ali Nawaz Awan owns property in Pakistan worth Rs39 million. He has no properties abroad. His business capital amounts to Rs5.69 million. He has three cars worth Rs3.5 million, while his wife owns a Rs800,000 vehicle. He has about Rs2.4 million in cash (in hand and in banks) and possesses furniture worth Rs441,600.

Asim Saleem Bajwa

SAPM on Information and Broadcasting (in honorary capacity) Lt-Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa has eight immovable properties, including a five-kanal house in the federal capital, four-kanal residential plot in DHA, Karachi; one kanal residential plot each in Islamabad and Karachi; a total of 12 marla commercial plots in Lahore, 30 acres of agricultural land in Rahim Yar Khan district and 35 acres of agricultural land in Bahawalpur district. The documents have listed one car (Toyota ZX 2016) worth Rs3 million. Two bank accounts in Islamabad have Rs291,000 and Rs1,239, respectively. Lt-Gen Bajwa also has a foreign bank account in Rawalpindi containing $4,149.

Yar Muhammad Rind

SAPM on activities pertaining to Ministries of Water Resources, Power and Petroleum in Balochistan, Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, has declared total assets worth Rs812,413,358. He along with his wives and other family members have 640 tolas of gold, a spring residential villa and an apartment at International City in Dubai, UAE; and agricultural land among other things.

Nadeem Babar

SAPM on Petroleum Division with the status of Minister of State Nadeem Babar has immovable property worth Rs129,764,250, a house in Houston, USA, total business capital of Rs2,153,119,451 in Pakistan, business capital of Rs137,790,063 outside Pakistan, Rs297,418,610 cash and bank accounts, prize bonds, and saving accounts having Rs166,196,807 among other things; making the grand total assets worth Rs2,752,812,874.

Tania Aidrus

Tania Aidrus is Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Digital Pakistan. Aidrus has four immovable properties held outside Pakistan — two in the US and one each in the UK and Singapore — which when converted to Pakistani rupees, have a total value of Rs452.69 million. She has no property in Pakistan. Aidrus has a bank balance in various accounts both in Pakistan and abroad worth Rs34.39 million. She owns a car, Toyota Fortuner, and jewellery worth Rs5 million.

Shahbaz Gill

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill holds cash worth Rs3.76 million. He has more than Rs2.6 million in local banks, while he has a bank balance of more than Rs31 million in JP Morgan Chase in the US, while a joint family account in the Busey Bank has Rs1.6 million. The SAPM has two cars (a BMW and a Camry) worth more than Rs6.5 million. Gill, along with his family, owns gold worth Rs5.5 million. The special assistant has two properties in Pakistan, both in Islamabad, worth more than Rs33 million.