Pakistan will witness its second consecutive democratic transition of power when the country heads to the polls on July 25. There are over 21,482 candidates vying for 1,070 seats in the National (NA) and Provincial Assemblies (PA).
A Geo News investigation has revealed that around 2,720 candidates contesting the elections face corruption, criminal, rape, dual nationality, money laundering, extortion, loans/bank defaulting, human smuggling and murder charges in Pakistan, according to official data exclusively obtained from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), National Database Registration Authority (Nadra), Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and District Returning Officers (DROs) by this correspondent.
It is pertinent to mention that often these cases are politically motivated and are yet to be proven in court.
Over 1,270 out of around 9,447 candidates for 545 NA and PA seats are facing corruption and criminal inquires/investigation in the Punjab province, 435 out of around 2,912 aspirants for 172 NA and PA seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 775 out of around 4,972 applicants for 243 NA and PA seats in Sindh, 235 out of around 1,835 for 85 NA and PA seats in Balochistan and five out of around 126 aspirants for three NA seats are facing criminal charges in the federal capital, revealed the data Geo News (ASKKS) programme exclusively obtained from aforementioned institutions. The volume of their alleged embezzled amount is said to be exceeding Rs800 billion. More than half of these 2,715 candidates are said to be in a winning position and they all are representing around half a dozen prominent political parties.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-Pakistan) have awarded more tickets to such candidates as compared to other smaller political parties. More than 401 candidates of PTI are facing corruption, criminal, rape, money laundering or drug smuggling charges, including 588 aspirants of PPP, 485 of PML-N, 770 independent candidates, 135 candidates of MQM-P, 122 leaders of the Pakistan Sarzameen Party (PSP), 52 aspirants of the Awami National Party (ANP), 69 of Jammiat-e-Ulema Islam Fazl (JUI-F), 49 of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), 52 of Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), 31 of National Party (NP), 31 Pakhtunkhawa Milli Awami Party (Pk-MAP), 25 of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), 19 Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), eight candidates of the All Pakistan Muslim League (APML), two of Awami Muslim League (AML) and the rest of the aspirants belonged to smaller political groups.
Around 122 individuals have allegedly had dual nationality, more than 223 are SNGPL defaulters and nearly a thousand are bank defaulters. Around 200 individuals, who got their loans worth nearly Rs54 billion, waived off would be facing NAB’s investigation soon after the Supreme Court warned of stern actions against the ones who got their loans written off politically.
Number of candidates who are facing either corruption or criminal charges would be more than 2,700 as officially, the data would be released later on for DROs rejected over 2,500 nomination papers of aspirants across the country.
This data is still being collected by the concerned authorities.
ECP officials say the data of thousands of aspirants for 2018 polls is still being collected. In Punjab, 141 DROs have collected this data, 25 in KP, 27 in Sindh, 34 in Balochistan, and one DRO in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), they said.
Among prominent individuals is ex-MPA Nawab Sardar Ahmed Chandio, one of the aspirants for PPP ticket to contest the election, who was charge-sheeted in a triple murder case. Farooq Bandial, whose membership was suspended hours after joining the PTI, was convicted in a rape case. Arshad Mahmood Gondal alias Cuckoo, who was awarded PTI ticket from PP-65 Mandi Bahauddin, is facing serious cases involving murders, kidnapping, rape, theft and most importantly punishment by a NAB court.
Asif Ali Zardari, co-chairman of the PPP, is facing a trial for assets beyond known sources of income. PTI chairman Imran Khan faces National Accountability Bureau (NAB) inquiry for illegally using a KP government helicopter and terrorism charges for allegedly attacking PTV building during the 2014 Islamabad sit-in.
Ex-chief minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif also faces NAB inquires in different cases allegedly involving embezzlement of billions of rupees. Similarly, the top corruption watchdog is also probing two prominent PML-N leaders, Maryam Nawaz and Hamza Shehbaz, in different corruption cases.
Former KP chief minister Pervez Khattak also faces NAB investigations in different corruption cases pertaining to billions of rupees losses to the national exchequer.
Among other prominent politicians, who are now contesting elections and face similar charges, are ex-premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, MQM-Pakistan leader Farooq Sattar, PSP chief Mustafa Kamal, former federal ministers Khawaja Asif and Khawaja Saad Rafique, former chief ministers of Balochistan Aslam Raisani and Sanaullah Zehri, and ex-premier Raja Pervez Ashraf.
Another former Punjab chief minister Dost Mohammad Khosa was charged in a case pertaining to the kidnapping and murder of actress Sapna Khan.
Former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf faces serious charges of abrogating the Constitution of Pakistan.
Among other figures are PTI's Aleem Khan, Jaffar Khan Leghari, former JUI-F MPA Abdul Rehman Khetran, former provincial ministers Obaidullah Babat and Maulana Abdul Wasay, ex-federal ministers Tariq Fazl Chaudhry, Saira Afzal Tarrar, Kamran Michael and Riaz Pirzada.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also faces NAB investigation pertaining to alleged illegal allotment of hundreds of kanals of lands owned by the state in Dera Ismail Khan.
Former Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah, Faisal Vawda, Nadir Leghari and Fauzia Kasuri are also among prominent aspirants, who are facing allegations of dual nationality.
Majority of charges seem to be politically motivated against these aspirants, which are yet to be proven in the court of law.
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is among a few prominent political figures, who are not facing any investigation either by the NAB, FIA, SECP or any other state institutions.
List of prominent politicians facing allegations
Ex-Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain: NAB probe in alleged assets beyond known source (worth millions of rupees).
Ex-Governor Punjab Ghulam Mustafa Khar:NAB/police probe. Ex-Kashmir Affairs Minister Barjis Tahir: NAB/police probe.
Ex-Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf:NAB probe in alleged many mega corruption cases (worth billions of rupees).
Ex-Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani: NAB, FIA probe in alleged mega corruption cases (worth billions of rupees).
PTI Chairman Imran Khan:NAB probe in the alleged misuse of KP govt helicopter.
PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari: NAB probe in the alleged case of corruption worth over Rs189 billion.
Former Military General Pervez Musharraf:NAB, FIA, SC probe in multiple serious cases.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Punjab Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi: a case of alleged corruption is under investigation in NAB.
Ex-Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif: NAB probe in alleged corruption cases (worth billions of rupees).
Ex-Chief Minister Punjab Manzoor Wattoo: NAB probed in alleged an old case of misuse of authority.
Ex-MPA Moeen Wattoo: NAB probed in alleged an old case of misuse of authority.
Ex-Chief Minister Balochistan Aslam Raisani: NAB probe in alleged mega corruption cases worth billions of rupees.
Ex-Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Sanaullah Zehri: NAB probe in the alleged case of misuse of authority.
Ex-Chief Minister KP Pervaiz Khattak: NAB probe in the alleged corruption case.
Ex-Chief Minister KP Akram Durrani: NAB probe in mega alleged corruption cases worth billions of rupees.
Former Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ameer Haider Khan Hoti: a NAB case under investigation.
JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman: NAB probed an old case of alleged illegal allotment of government land in DI Khan.
MQM-Pakistan leader Farooq Sattar: FIA probe in alleged money laundering cases.
PSP Chief Mustafa Kamal: FIA probe in alleged money laundering cases.
Awami Raj Party President Jamshed Dasti: Police investigates in alleged criminal cases.
Former Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif: NAB inquiry in an alleged money-laundering case.
Former Pakistan Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique: NAB inquiry in the alleged corruption case of the installation of computer-based interlocking system and purchase of a generator and other equipment.
Former MNA Sardar Jaffar Khan Leghari: NAB inquiry for illegal occupation of 2425 Kanals land worth Rs1.2 billion by ex-Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif of PML-N.
Ex-MP Major (R) Tahir Iqbal: An alleged NAB inquiry.
Ex-Health Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan: NAB inquiry.
Ex-MNA Syed Aqil Shah (sentenced for 2 years jail for invalid degree).
Ex-MPA Nawabzada Tariq Magsi: Invalid degree.
Ex-MPA Dewan Syed Ashiq Husain Bukhari: Invalid degree.
Ex-Excise and Taxation Minister Sindh Mukesh Kumar Chawla: Invalid degree.
Ex-MPA Balochistan Nawabzada Mir Nadir Magsi: Invalid degree.
Ex-Federal Health Minister Saira Afzal Tarar: NAB probe in illegally giving favours to some drugs manufacturing companies in the registration of their medicines and fixing of their exorbitant prices.
Ex-Federal Minister for Sports Riaz Hussain Pirzada: NAB probe in accusations of being involved in a number of corrupt practices and irregularities in the affairs of the Sports Division and Pakistan Sports Board.
Ex-MPA Malik M Rafiq Khar: NAB probe in revenue officials over illegally allotting 17,623 kanals worth billions of rupees.
Ex-MPA Ch Akram: NAB probes his alleged supplied under specification and substandard machines through fake documents of import involving approximately Rs300 million.
Ex-Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed: SC/police probes.
ANP leader Asfand Yar Wali: NAB/police probe.
Ex-KP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain: police probe.
Ex-Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour: NAB/police probe.
Former primer Yousaf Raza’s wife Fauzia Gilani: SC may take up the case of her loan of Rs40 million she got against Naqi Beverages but got a clean chit after returning only eight million rupees when her husband was the country's prime minister.
Ex-federal minister Awais Leghari and his brother ex-Senator Jamal Leghari: NAB may take up their case of getting waived off their loans. Both got loans on the name of Dera Ghazi Khan Oil worth Rs3.67 million but waived off in 2012.
Special Assistant to Ex-Chief Minister KP Syed Masoom Shah: NAB probe.
Ex-Minister Nawabzada Mahmood Zeb: NAB probe.
Ex-Minister of Revenue KP Syed Murid Kazim: NAB probe.
EX-MNA Arbab Saadullah Khan: NAB probe.
Ex-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Law Minister Imtiaz Shahid Qureshi: NAB probe.
Sindh former Jail Minister Manzoor Wasan: NAB probe for allegedly accumulating assets beyond his income.
Ex-Sindh Information Minister Saharjeel Inam Memon: NAB probe into an alleged corruption of over Rs5 billion, losses to the national kitty.
Ex-Sindh Interior Minister Zulfiqar Mirza: NAB probe/police begins criminal proceedings when he charged with damaging a police station, forcibly closing down traders’ shops and looting Rs3 million and Rs3.7 million, respectively, from two shops during protests in Badin.
Ex-Sindh Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro: NAB probes corruption charges against him.
Senator Sehar Kamran: NAB probe in a corruption case as an Ex-Principal Pakistan International School in Jeddah.
Ex-MNA Arif Alvi: Police probe in PTV attack case.
Ex-MPA Zahid Bhurgary: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Amir Khan: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Haider Abbas Rizvi: FIA probe in money laundering case.
Ex-MNA Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui: FIA probe in money laundering case. Ex-MPA Kanwar: FIA probe in money laundering case.
Ex-MNA Shafqat Shah Shirazi: NAB/police probe.
Ex-MPA Ejaz Shah Shirazi: NAB/police probe.
Ex-MPA Nasrullah Baloch: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Ghulam Qadir Palijo: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Agha Tariq: NAB probe. Ex-MPA Abdul Rauf Siddiqui: FIA probe in money laundering case.
Ex-MPA Adil Siddiqui: NAB probe.
Sindh Ex-Law and Prisons Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanja, Former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain (a case under trial and two others under investigation).
Ex-MNA Mir Munawar Talpur: NAB started probe against MNA on the basis of a complaint on the allegations of accumulation of assets beyond known sources of income.
Ex-MP Dr Sagheer: FIA probe into alleged money laundering cases/police.
PSP leader Anis Qaimkhani: Police probe.
Ex-MP Muhammad Shahid: Police probe.
Ex-MP Muhammad Zubair: Police probe.
Ex-MP Muhammad Tahir: Police probe.
Ex-MP Rauf Mughal: Police probe.
Ex-MP Manzoor Ahmed: Police probe.
Ex-MP Muhammad Irfan: Police probe.
Ex-MP Rafeeq Rajput: Police probe.
Ex-MP Kamal Siddique: Police probe.
Ex-MP Kaif-ul-Warra: Police probe.
Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal: NAB probe.
Former provincial minister Ali Mardan Shah: NAB probe.
Former Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazhar-ul-Haq: NAB probes pertaining to 13,000 illegal appointments, sources said further. Haq was accused of corruption worth Rs5 billion.
Ex-MNA Ijaz Jakhrani: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Mumtaz Jakhrani: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Gyanchand Essrani: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Ali Mardan Shah: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Mir Nadir Khan Magsi: NAB probe.
Ex-Speaker Sindh Assembly Agha Siraj Khan Durrani: NAB probe for allegedly holding assets beyond his means.
Senator Muzaffar Hussain Shah: FIA probes in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-MNA Ghulam Ali Nizamani: FIA probes in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-Chief Minister Sindh Arbab Ghulam Rahim: FIA probes in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-MNA Nawab Yousuf Talpur: NAB/FIA probe.
Ex-MPA Taimoor Talpur: NAB/FIA probe.
Ex-MNA Salman Mujahid Baloch: Police probes after he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman.
Ex-MPA Ghulam Gadir Palijo: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Dost Muhammad: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Muhammad Ali Malkani: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Abdul Sattar Rajpar: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Haji Abdul Rauf Khoso: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Nasrullah Baloch: NAB probe.
Ex-Provincial Minister Awais Muzaffar: NAB probe.
Ex-Provincial Jam Ghulam Qadir: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Jam Inamullah: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Ikramullah: NAB probe.
Ex-MNA Abdul Sattar Bachani: SC takes up Rs22 million loans written off issue.
Former Balochistan Excise and Taxation Minister Muhammad Amin Umrani: NAB initiates an inquiry against him for accumulating assets beyond his known sources of income.
Senator Raheela Magsi: NAB probe.
Former MPA Abdul Raziq: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Humayun Mari (son-in-law of Akbar Bugti): FIA probes into Asghar Khan case.
Ex-Maritime Minister Mir Hasil Bazinjo: FIA probe in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-MPA Nadeem Mengal: FIA probes in Asghar Khan Case.
Former MNA Syed Nasir Ali Shah: NAB probe.
Former minister Balochistan, Jaffar Khan Mandokhel: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Obaidullah Jan Babat: NAB probe.
Former special assistant Sindh CM Balochistan Zilah Mil: NAB probe.
Former MPA Ahmed Hussein Dahar: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Jawad Kamran Khar: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Sardar Ali Dareshik: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Fazal Ahmed Khan: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Tahir Basharat Cheema: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Shahid Rafi: NAB probe.
Ex-Education Minister Zubaida Jalal: NAB probe
Ex-MPA Faridoon Abadan: FIA probes in human smuggling case.
Ex-MPA Abdul Majeed Achakzai: Police in murder case.
Ex-MPA Asfand Yar Kakar: NAB probes him as he was accused of doing corruption worth Rs3 billion.
Ex-MPA Anita Irfan: NAB probe.
Ex-Speaker Balochistan Assembly Jan Jamali: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA George Jaffar: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Obaidullah Babat: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Maluvi Amir Zaman: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Abdul Malik Kakar: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Rehmat Saleh Baloch: NAB probe.
Ex-PMLN MPA Mir Izhar Khosa: NAB probes as he has allegedly inflicted a loss of Rs280 million to the national exchequer.
Ex-MPA Sadiq Umrani: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Khalid Langu: NAB probe.
Ex-Minister Industries and Commerce Abdul Ghafoor Lehri: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Muhammad Khan Lehri: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Ismail Gujjar: NAB probe.
Ex-Minister Sports Shah Nawaz Marri: NAB probe.
Ex-MNA Afzal Dhandhla: Police probe.
Ex-Advisor to Prime Minister Jam Mashooq Ali: FIA probes in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-Federal Minister Syed Khursheed Shah: NAB inquires issue of illegal appointments in Sukkhur.
Ex-MNA Afaq Ahmed: FIA probes in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-MPA Jam Mashooq: FIA probes in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-MPA Jam Haider: FIA probes in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-MPA Imtiaz Sheikh: FIA probes in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali: FIA probes in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-MPA Kadir Baloch: FIA probes in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-MPA Sarwar Khan Kakar: FIA probes in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-MPA Nadeem Mengal: FIA probes in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-MPA Humayun Marri: FIA probes in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-MPA Dost M Faizi: FIA probes in Asghar Khan case.
Ex-Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Akhtar Gorchani: NAB inquires him for allegedly capturing the state land.
Ex-MNA Rana Ishaq: NAB probe.
Ex-MNA Iftikhar Shah: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Sardar Asif Nakai: NAB probe.
Ex-MPA Waris Khakoo: NAB inquires him for alleged irregularities in Hasnain Construction Company Rashida Yaqoob.
Ex-Speaker National Assembly Dr Fahmida Mirza: NAB/SC probe into Loans Waived Off case.
TLP leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi: Absconder/Police probe/Schedule IV.
TLP leader Ashraf Asif Jalali: Police probe/Schedule IV.
Ex-Senator Saleem Saifullah: NAB probes his offshore.
Ex-Foreign Affairs Minister Hina Rabbani Khar: Loan defaulting (Rs517 million with husband share).