Netizens slam public officials for investing in Dubai instead of Pakistan

A global investigative journalism project named, Dubai Unlocked, revealed the details of high-end properties in the Gulf country owned by several Pakistani politicians, bureaucrats, retired military men, lawmakers, criminals, and money launders.

The report said that almost 17,000 Pakistanis reserved ownership rights of over 23,000 properties in the city of skyscrapers.

The data, revealed by Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), claimed that the combined value of the assets was estimated at around $11 billion.

The leaked data provides a detailed overview of hundreds of thousands of properties in Dubai and information about their ownership or usage, largely from 2020 and 2022.

Pakistanis who are listed in the property leaks are President Asif Ali Zardari’s three children, Hussain Nawaz Sharif, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s wife, Sharjeel Memon and family members, Senator Faisal Vawda, Farah Gogi, Sher Afzal Marwat, four MNAs and six MPAs from the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies.

The list also included late military dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf, former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, and more than a dozen retired generals as well as a police chief, an ambassador, and a scientist.

Following the development, several politicians, who were named in the list, said that the properties were declared before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

The social media users demanded finding the source behind the transfer of funds to Dubai.

The users also demanded them to submit the money trail of the properties in Dubai.

Here's how netizens reacted to the expose:

Here are some notable Pakistanis listed in the leaks:

1. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
2. Aseefa Bhutto Zardari
3. Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari
4. Hussain Nawaz Sharif
5. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s wife
6. Abdul Ghani Majid
7. Ghulam Abbas Zardari
8. Hamid Samoo
9. Haji Haroon (Director H&H Exchange Pvt Ltd and former president Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan)
10. Atif Abdul Aziz Polani
11. CFO Omni Group Aslam Masood and his wife
12. Sohrab Dinshaw
13. Altaf Khanani's son, daughter, brother, and nephew
14. Sharjeel Memon and family members
15. Senator Faisal Vawda
16. Farah Gogi
17. Sher Afzal Marwat
18. Gen Pervez Musharraf (Late)
19. Shaukat Aziz
20. Hamid Mukhtar Shah
21. PPP MNA Mirza Ikhtiar Baig and his brother Ishtiaq Baig
22. PPP's Owais Muzaffar Tappi and his spouse
23. PML-N MNA Ehsanul Haq Bajwa
24. Former CM Balochistan Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, his wife and daughter
25. BNP's Sardar Akhtar Mengal
26. Malik Riaz's wife Bina Riaz, son Ahmed Ali Riaz and son-in-law Zain Malik
27. Former COAS Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa's son Saad Siddique Bajwa
28. Former Balochistan CM Sardar Aslam Raisani
29. MNA Amer Ali Magsi
30. MPA Sheikh M Mugheri
31. Former MPA Sardar Khan Chandio
32. Former minister Marvi Memon
33. Lt Gen (retd) Muhammad Afzal Muzaffar
34. IG police AJK Tajik Sohail Aziz
35. ARY CEO Salman Iqbal
36. Late Lt Gen (retd) Alam Jan Mahsud and his wife
37. Lt Gen (retd) Shafaat Ullah Shah
38. Maj Gen (retd) Syed Ehtasham Zamir
39. Lt Gen (retd) Muhammad Akram
40. Maj Gen (retd) Ghazanfar Ali Khan
41. Brig (retd) Nadir Mir
42. Maj Gen (retd) Syed Najamul Hassan Shah
43. Maj (retd) Maj Azizul Aman Zuberi
44. Maj Gen (retd) Ausaf Ali
45. Maj Gen (retd) Raja Arif Nazir
46. Air Vice Marshal (retd) Khalid Masood Rajput

Disclaimer: Owning property outside Pakistan is not an illegal activity as per the country's law. It's FBR's responsibility to decide the legality of the property.