The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) sprang into action against owners of undeclared ‘benami’ properties as the deadline for the government’s asset declaration scheme ended on Wednesday, a private TV channel reported.
The tax collection body started its action against ‘benami’ properties from Karachi and the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Among the first politicians affected was Chaudhary Tanvir Khan of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) over his undeclared six-kanal plot in Rawalpindi. The deputy commissioner income tax in Rawalpindi issued the orders to ‘provisionally attach’ the property under the Benami Transaction (Prohibition) Act, 2017, after which he will be unable to transfer or sell such the property until cleared.
Notices were also sent to six individuals on whose names the ‘benami’ property was registered. The individuals Mohammed Basharat, Raja Abdul Shakoor, Shahjahan Begum, Mohammed Maroof, Azhar Ali, and Abdul Aziz were said to be employees working for the PML-N politician.
FBR sends notices to six individuals on whose names Ch Tanvir’s property in Rawalpindi was registered
Similar action was carried out in Karachi, with Deputy Commission Income Tax Syed Mashkoor Ali issuing notices to ‘benami’ property holders.
Official documents showed that a notice was issued to an individual named Nadeem Ahmed Khan for holding a ‘benami’ property in Federal B Area at the address House 169/10. A similar notice was sent to the address of a bungalow, 157-F Block-5 in KDA Scheme 5 in Clifton. A company by the name of Al Miftah Holding (Pvt) Limited has its offices at the address. Another notice for holding undeclared ‘benami’ property was dispatched to the address 19-1/C in PECHS Block 6.
Notices issued to benami property holders in Karachi as well
The federal government had introduced the Asset Declaration Scheme 2019 in May and the extended deadline for declaring such assets ended on Wednesday.
The government had on Monday announced the establishment of three major zones – Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad – and 11 sub-zones for adjudicating authorities to deal with benami properties as required under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 2017. Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh had earlier said that the government intended to form a commission to take action against ‘benami’ properties still left undeclared after the deadline.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Imran Khan had vowed that action would be taken against politicians keeping ‘benami’ properties and that all such properties would be confiscated. Similar action against all other people who hold benami properties or bank accounts would also begin after the deadline ended, he had said while talking to a private news channel.
The FBR will now seize the assets of any citizen who failed to declare them under the government’s assets declaration scheme.
