Average MNA gets three times richer in six years

ISLAMABAD: A comparative analysis of the assets declared by MNAs belonging to the 12th and the 13th National Assembly of Pakistan reveals that the average value of an MNA’s assets has increased three-fold in six years from 2002-2003 to 2008-2009.

According to a Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat) analysis of the declarations of assets submitted by MNAs, the average value of an MNA’s assets in the 12th National Assembly was just below Rs27 million in 2002-2003 which has increased to almost Rs81 million in 2008-2009, a three-fold increase in six years. The analysis also indicates that an average MNA of the current (13th) National Assembly is twice as rich compared to his/her counterpart in the previous (12th) National Assembly.

The Pildat report series titled “How Rich are Pakistani MNAs?” has analyzed assets declared by MNAs for the years 2002-2003 to 2005-2006; 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 through three separate reports. The latest of this series of Pildat reports, comparing assets declared by MNAs belonging to the 13th (current) National Assembly of Pakistan, has used data contained in the gazettes published by the Election Commission of Pakistan on October 15, 2008 and October 27, 2009.

The report depicts that the current average value of assets held by an MNA stands at Rs80.89 million, based on the 2008-2009 declarations. This figure demonstrates a modest increase of 9.5 percent from the 2007-2008 figure of Rs73.92 million. The average value of assets owned by non-Muslim MNAs, Rs20.35 million, is 75 percent lower than the overall average of almost Rs81 million, based on 2008-2009 figures.

In terms of individual wealth, the 2008-2009 declarations reveal the wealthiest MNA to be Mehboob Ullah Jan (NA-23, Kohistan, KP, PPPP) with total assets of Rs3.288 billion. He is followed by Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (NA-50, Rawalpindi-I, Punjab, PML-N), with total assets of Rs1.627 billion,

Jahangir Khan Tareen (NA-195, R.Y.Khan-IV, Punjab, PML-F) with total assets of Rs1.095 billion, Saeed Ahmed Zafar (NA-162, Nankana Sahib-II Old Sheikhupura-VII, Punjab, IND) with total assets of Rs1.030 billion, and Nuzhat Sadiq (NA-277, Punjab-V, PML-N) with total assets of Rs912.81 million.

The 2007-2008 declarations reveal the wealthiest MNA to be Mehboob Ullah Jan (NA-23, Kohistan, KP, PPPP) with total assets of Rs3.252 billion. He is followed by Nuzhat Sadiq (NA-277, Punjab-V, PML-N), with total assets of Rs1.514 billion, Chaudhry Zahid Iqbal (NA-162, Sahiwal-III, Punjab, PPPP), with assets amounting to Rs1.248 billion, Chaudhry Nazir Ahmed Jatt (NA-167, Vehari-I, Punjab, PML) (who later resigned while facing charges of processing a fake degree; Chaudhary Asghar Ali Jatt is re-elected on this seat in by-election 2010), with assets worth Rs843 million and Jahangir Khan Tareen (NA-195, R.Y.Khan-IV, Punjab, PML -F), with assets amounting to Rs716 million.

At the other end of the assets spectrum, the least wealthy MNAs in 2008-2009 is Saeed Iqbal Chaudhary (NA-81, Faisalabad-VII, Punjab, PPPP) with approximately Rs29 million net assets, followed by Roshan Din Junejo (NA-236, Sanghar-III, Sindh, PPPP), Sheikh Rohail Asghar (NA-124 Lahore-VII, Punjab, PML-N), Ghulam Farid Kathia, (NA-161 Sahiwal-II, Punjab, PPPP), Minister of State for Education, and Ayaz Amir (NA-60 Chakwal-I, Punjab, PML-N).

Nuzhat Sadiq (NA-277, Women Punjab-V, PML-N), has remained the richest female MNA in 2008-2009 and 2007-2008, with assets worth Rs912.81 million and Rs1.514 billion respectively. The second richest female MNA in the current National Assembly is Asma Arbab Alamgir (NA-325, Women KP-IV, PPPP) with assets of Rs682.05 million and Rs515.25 million in 2008-2009 and 2007-2008 respectively while Belum Hasnain (NA-292, Women Punjab-XX, PPPP) with assets of Rs298.40 million in 2008-2009 and Rs332.50 million in 2007-2008 and is the third richest female MNA.

Mohammad Kamran Khan (NA-40, Tribal Area-V, Fata, IND) proved to be the most effective asset manager whose assets grew 42 times over a period of one year, followed by Maulana Muhammad Qasim (NA-10, NA-10 Mardan-II, KP, MMA), with a 12-time increase in assets and Bilal Yaseen (NA-120, Lahore-III, Punjab, PML-N) whose assets increased 9 times during the period.

In 2008-2009, the PML-F is the richest or on top of the list in terms of the average wealth of its MNAs (average assets per MNA: Rs239 million), followed by the NPP Rs122 million, the independents Rs108 million; the PPPP Rs102 million; the PML-N Rs75 million; the PML Rs62 million; the ANP Rs61 million; the PPP-S Rs37 million; the MQM Rs25 million; the BNP Rs14 million and the MMA Rs6 million. These figures demonstrate a 42-fold difference between the average wealth of the MNAs in the party with the greatest average wealth and that with the least.

From 2002-2006, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) topped the list in terms of average wealth of its MNA as its lone MNA Imran Khan (NA-71, Mianwali-I, Punjab, PTI, 12th NA) held assets worth Rs85 million at that time, followed by the PML-N (average assets per MNA at Rs61 million); PML Rs56 million and the PPPP Rs34 million.

In geographical terms, the differences in average wealth are significant. In 2008-2009, MNAs from Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) have the highest average value of assets per MNA followed by those from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Fata, Sindh and Balochistan respectively. Similarly, in 2007-2008, MNAs from the ICT headed the list. This trend has been maintained earlier from 2002-2006 when on average an MNA from the ICT was the richest followed by an MNA from Punjab, Fata, Balochistan, Sindh and KP.

In terms of the percentage share of the combined value of assets in the year 2008-2009, Punjab tops the list, with a share of 54 percent (down from 73 percent in 2002-2006); followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 31 percent (up from 4 percent share in 2002-2006); Sindh 10 percent (down from 11 percent in 2002-2006); Fata maintaining its 3 percent; ICT 1 percent (down from 5 percent in 2002-2006) and Balochistan at 1 percent (down from 4 percent in 2002-2006).