‘Munna shaikh’ is richest candidate
The independent has surpassed all rich politicians by declaring Rs403 billion in assets
APakistani independent candidate for Elections 2018 has surpassed all rich politicians by declaring Rs403 billion (Dh12 billion) in assets.
The candidate, Mohammad Hussain Shaikh alias Munna shaikh, who is contesting from NA-182 constituency in Muzaffargarh city in the south-western Punjab made the revelation in the asset details he has submitted with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Hussain Shaikh claims that he owns land comprising almost 40 per cent of Muzaffargarh city as well as the Lang Malana, Taliri, Chak Taliri and Latkaran areas, according to local media reports. He has declared more than 350 acres of gardens, three houses and household appliances in the documents.
However, Shaikh’s nomination papers indicate that the fabulously rich man has not paid tax of a single rupee since his land had previously been disputed. Only recently, a Supreme Court bench comprising the chief justice, Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Umar Atta Bandial recently decided in his favour in a case that had went on for around 88 years.
Plea to chief justice
After the court verdict, Shaikh is the proud owner of the previously disputed land worth nearly Rs400 billion besides other sections of land valued in tens of millions of rupees.
Shaikh is now the richest candidate for Pakistan’s elections 2018 according to details of assets declared in the nomination papers.
Pakistan’s richest election candidate hoped that political representatives contesting elections will also honestly declare their wealth. “I have shown my assets with complete honesty. I appeal the chief justice to probe the assets of all politicians,” he was quoted as saying by The News.
Pakistan’s electoral body ECP has made it mandatory for aspiring election candidate to honestly disclose their assets. ECP would publish the data of candidates on its website within the next few days to ensure transparency and accountability in Elections 2018.
Recently, top politicians of the country have disclosed the value of their total assets in millions of rupees in the nomination papers submitted to ECP.
According to declarations, three-time premier Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam has declared a total of 845m rupees (Dh25m) worth of assets. The former president Asif Ali Zardari owns assets worth 758m rupees (Dh23m). His son, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party is reportedly twice as much rich as his father.
The cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan who chairs the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) declared 38 million rupees (DH1.1m) worth of holdings. PML-N leader and former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif has declared that he possesses assets totalling over Rs159m (Dh4m), while his son Hamza Shahbaz has declared that his net assets are worth over Rs411 million (Dh12m).