Imran endorses Aleem’s integrity,ignores his income sources

ISLAMABAD: After Imran Khan named Aleem Khan as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate for the by-election in NA-122, the decision was followed by the issuance of a letter from the PTI chairman enlisting his contribution as a donor and endorsing his financial integrity.
However, no effort appears to have been made to check the source of his declared and undeclared money as his tax payments available on public record raise legitimate questions that Imran couldn’t have ignored in any other case.
Aleem not only funded the PTI, the letter argues, he also generously donated for the welfare projects that Imran has otherwise been urging not to be associated with politics: the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and NAMAL college.
One wonders if Aleem’s contribution was politically motivated or just for the cause of humanity. In either case, the money granted by him appears to have influenced the political decision made by Imran Khan who had been advocating purging politics from it and pushing the conflict of interest law in the PTI-led Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa without any progress so far.
In the list of his acknowledgment, Imran wrote that Aleem was among the first few donors of NAMAL college project, contributed for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in Lahore and “recently gave a huge donation to the SKMCH Peshawar project.”
Besides, the letter explains, Aleem Khan not only headed Imran’s election campaign in NA-122 during the general elections of 2013 but also played an instrumental role in preparing the case for rigging in the said constituency.
Certainly, it requires a lot of money given the amount invested by him and elaborated by Imran declaring him “becoming a huge success in the cutthroat real estate business and as always happen, success tends to attract jealously and envy — the same happened with Jehangir Tareen.”
As for Tareen’s case is concerned, many would differ and accuse him of influencing through the power of money, one fact, however, remains that he is among the highest taxpayers in Pakistan, something justifying his legal sources of income. In 2013, Tareen was featured among top-100 taxpayers.
The situation is contrary in the case of Aleem Khan whose financial integrity has also been defended by Imran. What appears from his annual income declaration and tax paid on it raise question about the sources of his income.
When Aleem contested 2013 election from NA-127, Federal Board of Revenue sent his three-year tax record to the Election Commission of Pakistan in addition with other 24,000 contesting candidates.
For three-year (2010-2012), the real estate tycoon, who generously donates for Imran’s charity and political projects, declared only Rs4.8 million each year paying tax Rs912,000, Rs975,409 and Rs966,728.
When one files income tax return, all taxable and non-taxable income has to be declared. Going by his declared income, one concludes that either he has mis-declared his income or it was insufficient for his own living especially when he resides in six-kanal house in posh area, DHA Lahore.
Incidentally, his latest tax declaration has not shown any major different. In 2014, Aleem paid Rs100,736,3 tax, according to the tax directory released by the FBR. If his previous income declaration and tax paid as a business individual is any guide, his 2014’s income declaration should have registered a maximum increase of one or two lac.
One may argue that lion’s share of his tax might have been paid by his business but the tax directory doesn’t testify this impression. Aleem’s business concern, Vision Developers (NTN: 1751517-3) doesn’t figure in the directory raising questions about its status as a filer or non-filer.
For a person like Imran Khan who also champions the cause of tax payment and accuses others for tax evasion, it is hard to ignore Aleem’s tax history and sources of income used to finance PTI and charitable causes.
Giving a blind eye to the sources of incomes to the donors will not only tarnish the image of the party, raising fears of being hijacked by the people with questionable sources, it can also compromise the struggle of the party that has galvanised youth.
This influence of the donors and its consequences reminds me the scrutiny that Hillary Clinton had to face. Before her appointment as the US Secretary of State in 2009, she had to agree with eight conditions with President Obama, including the disclosure of the list of donors funding the Clinton Foundation run by her husband. It was done to pre-empt the influence of donors on her decisions.
If SKMCH is for treating cancer and NAMAL college for quality education, Clinton Foundation works for HIV/AIDS, climate change and sustainable growth. There can’t be an excuse for getting away with the accountability.