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Britain

Pakistani politician's London mansion becomes the talk of the town

2013-10-31

[Dawn] A mansion on a super-expensive street nicknamed 'Billionaire's row' has become the UK's most valuable repossession after going on the market for £30 million. The house, named Dryades, is located in the centre of The Bishops Avenue, a leafy street in northern London. But the property, owned by a Pakistani political dynasty, has been seized by Deutsche Bank after a lengthy High Court battle, a report in Daily Mail's online edition said. The 8,000 square-foot home has now been put on the market by the bank for a staggering £30m, but plans are already in motion to knock the existing house down and replace it with a giant new home. Planning permission has been granted by Barnet Council for a 46,000square-foot replacement, which could more than triple the present value of the property. The proposed home would boast 21 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms and 12 reception rooms when completed. It will also have an acre and a half of gardens, despite being minutes from the busiest parts of London. The replacement for Dryades will have a staggering 63-metre frontage, and plans are in place for staff quarters, an orangery and a huge centrally-positioned staircase which is reached by walking through a grand vestibule. Other facilities will include an underground level containing a car park, swimming pool, sauna, gym, steam room, billiards room, cinema, bar and bowling alley. Its value could approach £100m mark when completed - making it one of Britain's most valuable new residences. The property was bought for around £12m in 2005 by the family of Pakistan's former privatisation minister Senator Waqar Ahmed Khan as they looked to invest in the London property market. In 2007 it was used to secure a £50m loan with Deutsche Bank, but a lengthy 'debt and possession' dispute between both parties resulted in the family losing the home earlier this year. The receivers, Eddisons, has appointed the Knight Frank estate agency to sell Dryades, with the property advertised for £29.5m. It is currently boarded up and its gardens are unkempt. Grant Alexson, head of Knight Frank's Hampstead office, called Dryades 'an exceptional opportunity'. He said: "The house, which is currently quite modest, is set in 1.5acres of prime land on The Bishops Avenue. "The value is in the planning permission. A piece of land like this is worth a lot more if you can build on it. "It would be the largest home on The Bishops Avenue and one of the largest new homes in the UK."It is an exceptional opportunity to buy one of the finest pieces of land on The Bishops Avenue and it is likely to appeal to an international client. "It has just come onto the market and there is already a lot of interest."

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India-Pakistan

Fazl, Sherpao back Mr. Ten Percent

2008-08-31

PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari's bid for the presidency got a boost on Saturday when the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the Pakistan People's Party-Sherpao (PPP-S) announced that they would support him in the presidential race, thus, strengthening his position in the numbers game. JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, announcing his party's support for the PPP co-chairman, said that as the JUI-F was a part of the ruling coalition at the Centre, it had decided to vote for the coalition parties' nominee Asif Ali Zardari. Talking to reporters in Peshawar, Fazl said the government had announced to halt the operation in the Bajaur Agency, a major precondition for the JUI-F's support and, therefore, his party had decided to vote for Zardari in the presidential election on September 6. He urged other political parties to follow the suit. He said that since the country was facing numerous challenges, it would be unwise to create a political crisis at this time. He asked all the political parties to evolve a consensus over the presidential election and avoid making it controversial. Fazl said the Taliban were not the only reason for the growing militancy in Pakistan and the intelligence agencies were equally involved in spreading the menace. Regarding the law and order situation in the country, he said the Taliban were not the only reason for the growing militancy in Pakistan and the intelligence agencies were equally involved in spreading the menace. Similarly, PPP-S President Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao also announced to support PPP candidate Asif Zardari in the presidential elections. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said: "We have decided to support Asif Zardari in view of the worsening law and order situation in the country and in order to boost political and provincial harmony." Asif Zardari's election would strengthen all segments of the society, as he has the capability to pull the country out of the present crisis, Sherpao said. Flanked by Faryal Talpur, the sister of the PPP co-chairman, and Senator Waqar Ahmed, Aftab Sherpao said as the prime minister belonged to the PPP, so the president should also be from the same party for better working relationship among the institutions. Asif Zardari had sent his sister, along with Mehreen Anwer Raja and Farah Naz Isphahani, to get the support of Aftab Sherpao. A few days back, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had also visited the residence of the former interior minister to get his support for Zardari's candidature. Sherpao said all the political parties should join hands for improvement in the law and order in the country. Responding to a question regarding the impeachment of General (retd) Pervez Musharraf, Sherpao said his party had decided to support all the democratic forces in this connection. Answering another question regarding the unification of the PPP and PPP-S, he said it was premature to say anything. "At this moment, we should focus on the presidential elections," he added. Faryal Talpur thanked Aftab Sherpao for his party's support and said the PPP always believed in political reconciliation, and the support showed that political parties of the country had agreed to the PPP agenda.

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India-Pakistan

Pakistan: Eight killed in attack on MP's home

2008-08-26

(AKI) - Taliban militants attacked the home of Pakistani Senator Waqar Ahmed Khan in the Swat Valley in the North West Frontier Province on Monday, killing his brother, two of his nephews and five guards. Khan, who was not home at the time, is a member of the ruling Awami National Party in the Shah Dheri area. Khan was elected to the Senate of Pakistan for the first time in 1994 as the youngest ever member of the Upper House of Parliament. The attack comes after an ongoing offensive against Taliban militants by government security forces in the past few weeks. Pakistani troops said they had killed at least 35 militants at the weekend. Also on Monday, Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik announced a ban on the militant Tehrik-i-Taliban after militants claimed responsibility for a string of attacks and suicide bombings recently. The militant group may have its bank accounts and assets frozen, according to some media reports. The TTP is headed by Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud and is based in the volatile South Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan. Mehsud, a member of South Waziristan's Mehsud tribe, has emerged as Pakistan's most feared militant over the past year.

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