MPs' assets challenged in SC

ISLAMABAD The assets declared by the members of the Parliament (MPs) to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) were challenged in the Supreme Court here on Friday.
The petitioner, Advocate Sikandar Hayat Khan, argued that the assets declared by the MPs were not correct. The application was filed under Article 184/3 of the Constitution.
The applicant pleaded that accurate estimation of their assets should be undertaken while an inquiry should be conducted regarding others assets named after their (MPs) families, praying that appropriate direction may be issued to the Chairman FBR to protect national kitty.
Through print and electronic media, an impression has been created that certain politicians, their wives and dependent children have amassed huge assets which require due scrutiny by tax authorities, who alone have the expertise to clarify the impression in the public interest, petition stated. From such newspaper reports including electronic media broadcasts, it seems that assets amassed by politicians, their wives and dependent children were either not subjected to scrutiny by various tax jurisdictions or are highly understated, it added.
I am a taxpayer along with others in Pakistan and it is in public interest that a scrutiny be carried out by various tax jurisdictions of Pakistan regarding the amassing of assets by politicians, their wives and dependent children in the interest of justice.
That is also desirable to have a correct valuation of the amassed assets of the politicians, their wives and dependent children, as in its absence, the burden of existing tax payers is increased because they are subjected to higher rates of taxation with a view to filling the gap between what they pay and what they ought to be paying.
Under the tax jurisdiction, based on tax treaties, we can call for any information regarding tax matters from foreign tax jurisdiction to which they are a party and inconsequence of which they are obliged to comply with our request. In the past such information was called by me in respect of certain cases and was provided without any hesitation by the contracting states subject to Agreements for Avoidance of Tax Evasion, the applicant maintained.
It is relevant to mention here that the applicant is also a former senior most officer of the Income Tax Group on National basis.