Pakistanis own properties with a combined value of an estimated $11 billion (Rs. 30 trillion) in Dubai according to a bombshell report ‘Dubai Unlocked’, based on leaked property data.

Dubai Unlocked is an international investigation into the owners of real estate in Dubai. The property records come from multiple data leaks, mostly from the Dubai Land Department, as well as publicly owned utility companies. Taken together, the 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.

The data was obtained by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., that researches international crime and conflict. It was then shared with Norwegian financial outlet E24 and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which coordinated an investigative project with dozens of media outlets from around the world.

According to the data leak, 17,000 Paki
stanis, including prominent politicians, businessmen, and retired generals, own 23,000 residential properties in Dubai.

Among the Pakistanis listed in the leaks are President Asif Ali Zardari’s three children, Hussain Nawaz Sharif, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s wife, Sharjeel Memon and his family members, Senator Faisal Vawda, four MNAs and a number of MPAs from the Sindh and Balochistan assemblies, according to The News, which along with Dawn from Pakistan participated in the project.

According to the report, Indians are top of the list of foreigners who own properties in Dubai with around 29,700 owners and 35,000 properties. Pakistanis are second on the list followed by United Kingdom nationals and Saudi nationals.

It is pertinent to mention here that a mere mention in the leaked data is not evidence in itself of financial crime or tax fraud. Dawn reported that a number of those approached for a comment on their properties said they were declared to the tax authorities.

Source: Pro Pakistani