Bilawal inherited assets from family, clarifies PPP

KARACHI: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has submitted income tax returns of the last three years with his nomination papers and all the properties and businesses declared by him have been inherited from his family. This was stated by Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, spokesman to the PPP Chairman, while reacting to reports about Bilawal's assets.

Explaining the issue about the worth of Bilawal House Karachi, the spokesman said according to section 116 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, ‘all assets [whether purchased or inherited] should be valued at cost’. The PPP Chairman inherited Bilawal House Karachi in early '90s and at that time, it was valued at Rs 3 million".

Khokhar said "around 70 candidates are contesting against Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in the general elections. The copies of his nomination papers were also taken by all other contesting candidates – including those from the PTI, JUI, MQM, PML-N, MMA, etc., and they did not raise any legal objections. He said, "the PPP Chairman has followed the law in letter and spirit while filing his nomination papers and added we respect the law and believe in transparency."

Earlier, Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar was appointed as a spokesman to the PPP chairman with immediate effect.

Notification in this regard was issued from the Chairman Secretariat by his Political Secretary Jameel Soomro on Saturday.