Govt confused over allegation about Dar’s flats

ISLAMABAD: The PTI government seems confused over the allegation it levelled against former finance minister Ishaq Dar that he owns two flats in London in his own name and which were not declared by him here in Pakistan.

Shehzad Akbar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability, while talking to The News said that he never said that Ishaq Dar owns two flats in London or UK. “He owns two flats in his own name in a country whose name cannot be divulged at present because of an arrangement and a reference will be filed against the former finance minister in the NAB very soon,” Shehzad Akbar said.

He said the government has complete details of the property and Ishaq Dar also knows which flats he is referring to. Shehzad Akbar said the government has already written to the concerned country for detail of these two flats owned by Dar.

However, the record shows that on October 5 (Friday), 2018, at 12:43pm, in the afternoon the government stated in a live press conference that as result of its investigations it has been proved that Ishaq Dar owns two flats in London in his own name.

When The News contacted Ali Dar, son of Ishaq Dar, in the UAE and asked him about any flats the former finance minister owns outside Pakistan in any country, he responded that his father does not own any flat in any country of the world. He did book two flats in JBR, UAE, in the year 2003-04 when he was finance advisor in the UAE and in this capacity was the ex-officio president/ CEO of Baraq Holdings. He said that both the flats were sold out long ago.

“Booking of both the flats was declared with the ECP annual statement of assets and liabilities for the financial year ending June 30, 2003 and subsequent years,” Ali Dar said, adding: “One of these flats was sold in FY ending June 30, 2006 and the other was disposed of in FY ending June 30, 2008 and all these declarations were made in annual returns of respective years with the ECP.”

Ali Dar added that though Ishaq Dar was a tax non-resident in the duration 2003 to 2008 and there was ambiguity whether declarations are to be made with the ECP or not, but still his father declared in the ECP statements all the transactions pertaining to booking and subsequent sale of these two flats. He said that allegation of owning flats in any country of the world are simply baseless and untrue like other allegations.

Shehzad Akbar was specifically asked by The News that if he can’t name the country in which Ishaq Dar owns these newly revealed two flats, then at least confirm whether the country is UAE or not? Shehzad Akbar responded that you can write, “I neither denied nor confirmed.” Shehzad said that it is strong case with all evidences and a new reference will soon be filed against Ishaq Dar by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and then he will present all details to the media.