ISLAMABAD: At least seven members of Prime Minister Imran Khan' Cabinet are either dual nationals or hold another country's permanent residency, according to the details issued by the government amid growing demands by the Opposition to disclose assets and nationalities of non-elected members.
The details of their assets and nationalities have been put up on the website of the Cabinet Division. Information Minister Shibli Faraz tweeted that the information had been made public on the instruction of Prime Minister Khan.
The move comes in response to growing criticism of the government and calls for declaring assets of the people close to the prime minister. When Khan was in the Opposition, he had criticised foreign nationals holding public offices.
All dual nationals were non-elected and working as special assistants to the prime minister, also called as SAPM, a notification issued by the Cabinet Division showed. The details of assets and dual nationalities of 20 advisers and special assistants to the prime minister were made public.
Those holding dual nationalities include SAPM on Political Affairs Shahbaz Gill (US), SAPM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar (US), SAPM on Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari (UK) and SAPM on National Security Moeed Yousuf (US).
The list also includes SAPM on Power Division Shahzad Qasim (US), SAPM on Parliamentary Coordination Nadeem Afzal Gondal (Canada) and SAPM on Digital Pakistan Tania S Aidrus (Canada and Singapore).
The Cabinet Division also published details of all non-elected advisors which showed that Babar had worth Rs 310 million properties in Pakistan and worth over Rs 310 million in the US. His business capitals amount to over Rs 2.15 billion.
Bukhari owns properties both in Pakistan and the UK. He also owns a Toyota Land Cruiser in Pakistan and four vehicles in the UK - Bentley (2017), Range Rover and two Mercedes. Aidrus owns properties in the US, Britain and Singapore.
SAPM on Information and Broadcast retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa owns eight properties, including a house, plots, commercial plots and agricultural land (65 acres), worth over Rs 1.4 billion. Adviser on Finance Hafeez Shaikh has properties and assets worth around Rs 300 million. Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood owns assets worth over Rs 2 billion.
In Pakistan, a foreign national cannot contest an election. All the people contesting an election declare their assets before the polls. But there is no such provision for non-elected members.