ISLAMABAD – Top Pakistani politicians including the current President along with military officials reportedly owned lavish real estate in Dubai, an exclusive report by OCCRP’s revealed.
The eye-opening report dubbed Dubai Unlocked reveals that UAE has become a destination for lavish properties acquired through undeclared means. Dubai real estate market attracted individuals from around the world, including Pakistan, who seek to invest or own property using funds that are not always transparent or legally acquired. It further raised concerns about money laundering and the use of offshore entities to conceal wealth.
Pakistan’s top politicians including retired military officials, along with bankers and bureaucrats, own properties in upscale areas of UAE, the report claimed.
The report mentions two properties belonging to President Asif Zardari’s family and one property belonging to former military ruler Pervez Musharraf. It also mentions Roshan Hussain and Hussain Zahoor.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s wife, Hussain Nawaz Sharif, Sharjeel Memon, Senator Faisal Vawda, and several MNAs and MPAs from Sindh and Balochistan assemblies.
The list also includes ex-PM Shaukat Aziz, and over a dozen retired generals, as well as other officials like a police chief, an ambassador, and a scientist, who own properties directly or through their spouses and children.
Omni Group Aslam Masood, Sohrab Dinshaw, Hamid Mukhtar Shah, are also owner of super expensive real estate. did not declare in his nomination papers for the Senate election. She purchased the villa in 2017 and received rental income from it until it was sold in 2023.
Property Leaks data also reveals insights into the foreign property ownership landscape in Dubai, with Indians owning the most properties followed by Pakistanis.
Astonishingly, the total value of properties owned by Pakistanis is estimated at around $11 billion.
Other retired military officials mentioned in the data include Maj Gen (r) Ehtasham Zameer and his family, as well as Maj Gen (r) Ghazanfar Ali Khan and Maj Gen (r) Raja Muhammad Arif Nazir.
The list includes Air Vice Marshal (r) Saleem Tariq, Air Vice Marshal (r) Khalid Masood Rajput, and former chairman of OGDCL Zahid Muzaffar, among others.
As per the report a serving IGP, a retired president of the National Bank of Pakistan, and a former chairman of the Oil and Gas Development Company are also on list.
Note:
Owning property overseas is not inherently illegal, as many individuals acquire such assets through legal means, including earnings from abroad or taxed income. The legality of these holdings is subject to the tax laws and regulations of the respective countries.