Our so very austere parliamentarians
The declarations of assets submitted by the parliamentarians to the Election Commission are more important for what they hide than what they reveal. Most legislators are keen to hide their material worth for fear that it might attract the attention of the CBR or encourage people to ask questions about the way it has been acquired.
It is mandatory for lawmakers to submit the yearly details of their assets. Last year, as many as man as 222 of them including important federal ministers missed the August 30 deadline and did not file the statement till the Commission passed the mandatory orders of their suspension till they fulfilled their legal obligation.
In most cases, the returns filed this year lack transparency. The questions requiring concrete details have drawn vague responses. Instead of giving straight replies, columns of probing questions have been left blank with remarks like “not applicable”. In some cases, the value of the assets has not been given. In others, what is mentioned is only the purchasing price of a property instead of its present market value.
Columns requiring the listing of the original cost and present market value have been left blank. The chief of a party in the ruling alliance has maintained that as he is not putting on sale his stately mansions in Lahore and Islamabad; thus, he doesn’t care to find what their present worth is. While the value of the assets changes over time, quite a few legislators have maintained that their properties have the same value “as last year” which is highly unusual.
Engineer Rashid Ahmad who is supposedly the richest Senator reveals a dislike for figures. The column seeking information regarding the value of his assets carries the unusual entry: “unlimited” value.
The declarations make one think one is living in a world of fairy tales In these materialistic times, Prime Minister Gilani still possesses mystical powers. He can live year after year in a sprawling house in the posh Defence neighbourhood without owning it. So can his son.
A pious Aurangzeb Alamgir is supposed to have earned his livelihood by calligraphing the Holy Book. If PM Gilani is to be believed, his sole source of income is the hard-earned salary he draws from government exchequer. Out of the net annual income of Rs 971,340, the parsimonious prime minister has managed to save a sum of Rs 571,340 for future needs. Gilani’s statement indicates that he does not possess any car. He would have to rely on “karamaat” to move from one polling station to another in the forthcoming election.
Believe it or not, Gilani is not alone in the interesting category of politicians who do all the running around without cars. Also included in the list are party leaders like Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Ch Shujaat Hussain, and dignitaries that include Hina Rabbani Khar, Faisal Saleh Hayat, Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi, Maulana Fazl’s brother Maulana Ataur Rahman, former chief minister Sardar Mehtab Ahmad Khan, Mir Ahmadan Bugti, Dr Ayatullah Durrani, former defence minister Aftab Mirani and President Zardari’s sister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho. They are like angels living in a world characterised by rat race.
Some of the lawmakers have been more forthcoming. The returns of quite a few indicate that they are billionaires, drawing income in dollars, dirhams, pounds and rupees. Some own property or businesses abroad. They include big landlords, both old time feudals and educated “progressive farmers”. Others draw their income from business and industry. There are still others who have yet to explain the source of their earnings.
There are a couple of lawmakers, one from Punjab and another from KP, who claim that they own no property, either moveable or immoveable. In between the two extremes is the vast majority of lawmakers, each one capable of sparing millions for politics, some treating it as investment that must bring profits. Unless the EC has a mechanism to verify the claims, one will have to accept the assets at their face value.
The parliament has turned into a millionaires club. Those belonging to the middle class stand automatically blackballed. The minimum expense for contesting the provincial assembly seat in Punjab is between Rs 4-5 crore. For the National Assembly, double that amount is required. Unless the club decides to enact a law to bring down the election expenses, the common man is out of the electoral ring. And why should it do it when it has enough money to throw around?
The writer is a former academic and a political analyst.
Why has there not been a push to make these law makers (breakers) accountable? Why does the media not haunt them to answer where their wealth is coming from and then check to see if they are paying proper taxes on this ill gotten wealth. We already know they are all going to hell but lets make their life hell on earth also.
The media has to take the lead on this issue.
Instead of killing the innocent and the weak, the Taliban could do the country a favour by blowing up the house of crooks otherwise known as the National Assembly.
What a surprise, our politicians are corrupt as the day is long and the stupid people will still vote for them.
Comments are closed.