The Perils of Exit Control Lists (ECL)

 By Dr Liaqat Malik, LLM, PhD

Background

In Pakistan, a citizen who is declared ‘wanted’ by the law enforcement agencies including the police, and any other person who is charged with corruption and is being investigated by the authorities, can be prevented from leaving the country by the Government of Pakistan.

 

Authority is granted by the “Exit from Pakistan (Control) Ordinance, 1981”, which authorises the Federal Government of Pakistan to restrict certain persons from leaving Pakistan. Exit Control lists were historically under the control of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Recently however, the Ministry of Interior has taken overall responsibility for this, mainly to avoid complications that were experienced previously (Aman, 2018) 1.

 

For a long time, ECLs have been used as a tool to blackmail Pakistani citizens and as a tool of punishment without charge or trial without limitation. Citizens have only a limited right to relief from their name being placed on an ECL and risk damage to their reputation  as inferences are drawn as to the reasons why they are on an ECL.

 

One serious concern is that citizens are not even informed by the government when their name is being place on an ECL and they often find out for the first time when either they reach the airport  and are stopped from exiting Pakistan at great embarrassment and distress, or sometimes the fact is leaked to the media and the first time the citizen discovers their name is on an ECL is when the fact is reported in the media.

 

The process of ECL has long been subject to debate in Pakistan which has not only made it a political concern but also raised issues over its procedure and policies implemented over the past few years. The process which ideally should be an effective approach for preventing accused people from exiting the country has now become mostly a political weapon for citizens to endure.

Similar methods are also pursued by other countries but for a different cause such as to maintain and sustain the criminal justice system, unlike in developing countries such as of Pakistan where it is used for political victimization.

International Community Travel Bans

The UK also uses international travel bans. This system is created by UN and EU means. The decision to impose a travel ban on any person is either made by the “Instrument of Council of the European Union” or by the “Security Council of the United Nation” (Blackbourn andWalker, 2016)

Travel bans control or restrict the movement of any person who is recognised as being associated with any group or organisation involved in particular illegal activities not considered acceptable by international society.

 

The members of the EU and the UN must reject the entrance and exit of individuals thought their country if a travel ban is approved. Under UK law, there is no provision for individuals to challenge if they are restricted by an “International Travel Ban”. An individual who is restricted by a “travel ban instrument” is denied permission to leave the country, under “section 8 B (1) (a) of the 1971 act”.

Current Situation in Pakistan

Politicians as well as ordinary citizens continue to face serious harassment through this law by the government especially those “civil society activists” who raise their voice against politicians.

 

In Pakistan due to a corrupt system, people who have powers can easily remove their name from an ECL if they are affiliated with the ruling party of the time. This procedure needs to change.

 

The Exit Control List Amendment Bill 2018 has been approved by  the Senate Standing Committee which suggests that unless an order has been made by  the Supreme Court or Trial court a citizen’s name should not be placed on an Exit Control List.

 

This ensures a separation between the executive and the judiciary and needs to be implemented immediately and effectively to safeguard human rights so that ECL are not controlled by the Ministers of State.

Over the decades Pakistan has failed to implement adequate legislation to protect individual rights. When one government obtains power, the last government is often prosecuted. There needs to be a system whereby draconian laws are removed immediately.

 

The Parliament of Pakistan needs to urgently reform the present legal system and adopt a similar one to the UK by introducing the formation of a new Administrative Court (with High Court jurisdiction) whereby all applications in the first instance shall  be dealt with through the Administrative Court such as constitutional rights, suo motto, ECL and in the event of a point of law of public importance, courts can certify  and leap frog the  procedure to the Supreme Court.  In the alternative, the citizen or the state should be granted a right of appeal to the Supreme Court and courts should be able to award costs against the losing party. This will filter out malicious and frivolous applications.

Dr Liaqat Malik, LLM, PhD, March 2019

 

References

1 Aman Khan, N., 2018. Pakistan, constitution and nation.

2 Blackbourn, J. and Walker, C., 2016. Interdiction and Indoctrination: The Counter‐Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The Modern Law Review, 79(5), pp.840-870.

The Effectiveness of Anti-Money Laundering Legislation in Pakistan

 By Dr Liaqat Malik LLM, Ph.D

Introduction
Money laundering is the process of concealing the origins of money obtained illegally by passing it through various banking transfers or commercial transactions 1.  The Vienna Convention has made clear that money laundering should be criminalised together with the criminal financing of terrorism under the Terrorist Financing Convention.

 

Discussion

This paper provides a critical analysis of anti-money laundering policies and legislation in Pakistan and outlines the reforms needed to bring about effective change.

Overview

Pakistan continues to face challenges and threats due to significant levels of money laundering undertaken nationally on a daily basis by citizens of Pakistan, foreign nationals and corporate bodies, all of which is significantly increasing criminal activities such as corruption, trafficking and violence.

 

Money launderers in Pakistan are filling their pockets by illegal ways and misusing their power and position for the lust of wealth and money 2. Money laundering has a detrimental effect on Pakistan society, affecting its economy, community, government and the general social wellbeing of the state 3. It allows wrong doers and lawbreakers to enjoy illegal actions ‘without the noticing of law enforcement’ 4.

 

Money laundering acts as a barrier to the progress and development of the country by causing the growth and development of financial crises and poverty in Pakistan. There are many high profile cases concerning money laundering in Pakistan, a recent example being the case of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

National Accountability Courts

National Accountability Courts have also been established specifically to hear cases in the public interest concerning public officials charged with money laundering and related offences.

Trials and Convictions through NAB Enforcement Agency
The establishment of the National Executive Committee is a major step in the right direction, encouraging representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SBP and NAB to participate and all major stakeholders are protecting Pakistan from money laundering and terrorist financing 4. A centralised database framework has been established of suspicious individuals and transactions in the form of equipped reference points for marking future activities.

NAB law enforcement initiatives require the support of financial organisations, and many banks have established compliance sections with specific anti-money laundering (AML) contact points 5.

 

More recently, another regional body known as FATF came into action for combating money laundering and terrorism in Pakistan.

 

Ongoing Challenges

In June 2017, Pakistan was added to the list of counties who have still not taken sufficient steps to remove threats to the economic sector in terms of corruption and money laundering 3.  Further, Pakistan was in the top ten list compiled by Paris which declared that Pakistan is involved in money laundering which has become the source of terrorism and corruption, supplying money to terrorists.

Reforms Needed
Pakistan should understand how the country’s problems are exacerbated by money laundering and financing risks. The government should implement and enforce stricter measures including empowering agencies to implement actions to assess risk. It should apply resources aimed at ensuring effective risk mitigation. There is a necessity to review the national anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws and regulations and to designate policies that are responsible

Control Measures – Critical Analysis
Pakistan has introduced multiple reforms and policies in an attempt to eliminate money laundering from the state.

 

In 2007 the Government introduced a legal framework known as the Anti- Money Laundering Ordinance of 2007. Pakistan criminalised money laundering by setting up the Financial Intelligence Unit (FMU) in December 2007. The FMU became operational after the approval by the National Executive Committee in 2008.  The main objective was to eliminate such crimes from the country, yet its implementation is still not successful 4.

In 2010, the Anti-Money Laundering Law of 2010 was introduced to co-ordinate all relevant law enforcers. The primary objective was to implement appropriate legislation to assure proper exploration, conviction and prosecution of money-laundering transgressions 4.The bill combines all the necessary features of Pakistan’s legal structure, which previously worked largely in isolation in order to prevent and control money laundering in the state 3.

The Anti-Money Laundering Law, 2010 and its supportive regulations have laid a solid basis for curbing the country’s money laundering and terrorist financing activities 2. Under the 2010 Law, a senior National  Executive Committee was established, consisting of four ministers, the President of the National Bank of Pakistan and the Chairman of the Pakistan Securities and Exchange Commission, who have full authority to establish an “anti-money laundering act and Terrorist Financing (AML / CTF) strategy” 4. The website of the Financial Monitoring Unit states that there are more than 20 laws, 3 different sets of policies and regulations and 10 various reporting formats and notes with the guidelines to control and to eliminate the crime of money laundering

Financial institutions should retain all compulsory records of domestic and international transactions for at least five years to make them able to quickly comply with the information requirements of the experienced authorities. Such data and records must be sufficient and detailed enough to allow the re-establishment of personal transactions in order to provide evidence of criminal movement where necessary.

 

If an offence is already suspected of having being committed, then prior to trial, Judges of the High Court ought to be empowered with the ability to grant freezing orders on assets albeit with a right of redress to ensure individuals rights are safeguarded. After conviction, trial judges must be granted wide ranging powers to confiscate assets that are found to be from the proceeds of crime.

 

Trials of public officials in the Accountability Courts in cases of public interest are a step in the right direction however a high percentage of judgements from these courts are overturned on appeal to the High Court. It is recommended therefore that Accountability Courts, due to the importance of the cases being tried, ought to consist of a bench of 3; a lay person magistrate (qualified in finance), and two judges, a trial judge of the Accountability Court and a High Court judge. As well as providing more expertise, the panel of 3 will help to minimise the potential for bias or corruption. The right to appeal a judgement of the Accountability Court to the High Court should be maintained.

 

Accountability Court trials are held in public however given the public interest, the trials should also be broadcast to minimise false information provided after the conclusion of a trial when contradictory statements are given to the press from the prosecution, the defendant and the judges.

 

It is also imperative in the interest of justice that the losing party pay the costs.

Conclusion
Money laundering is acting as a barrier to the progress and development of Pakistan by causing the growth and development of financial crises and poverty in Pakistan.

The economy and Pakistan society in general needs to be protected.  Sufficient legislation needs to not only be enacted but also vigorously enforced. Further, more co-ordination between different state bodies needs to take place to tackle this issue particularly where companies are being used to facilitate money laundering on a large scale.

 

Pakistan must continue to take this issue seriously and only then can the problems be minimised to ensure that Pakistan can maintain its growth and sustainability both nationally and internationally.

 

Dr Liaqat Malik, 2019

 

References

1. Oxford English dictionary definition, 3^rd edition, 2005
   2. Chaikin, D. and Sharman, J., 2009. Corruption and money laundering: a symbiotic relationship. Springer.
   3. Zdanowicz, J.S., 2009. Trade-based money laundering and terrorist financing. Review of law & economics, 5(2), pp.855-878.
2. Amjad, R., Arif, G.M. and Irfan, M., 2012. Preliminary study: Explaining the ten-fold increase in remittances to Pakistan 2001-2012.
3. Ihsan, I. and Razi, A., 2012. Money laundering-A negative impact on economy. Global Journal of Management And Business Research, 12(17), Naheem, M.A., 2015. Trade based money laundering: towards a working definition for the banking sector. Journal of Money Laundering Control, 18(4), pp.513-524

Further Reading

Amoore, L. and de Goede, M., 2011. Risky geographies: aid and enmity in Pakistan. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 29(2), pp.193-202.
Chêne, M., 2008. Hawala remittance system and money laundering. U4 Expert Answer. Anti-Corruption Resource Centre, Norway..
Usman Kemal, M., 2014. Anti-money laundering regulations and its effectiveness. Journal of Money Laundering Control, 17(4), pp.416-427.

Dr Malik supported Imran Khan, PTI with free air time to raise funds for his hospital and his party for the last 14 years. He even demonstrated and played a major part in the demonstrations when ImDr Malik is a crazy media entrepreneur. He supported Benazir Bhutto and lobbied for her to form a democratic government. Due to the support for Bhutto during General Musharaff’s regime, two of his staff members were killed and his television station was repeatedly blocked but when the PPP came into power crazy Dr Malik took no part in the government.
ran Khan was arrested and his sisters assaulted.

Crazy Dr Malik took no part in the government when Imran Khan came into power.

Dr Malik raised over £8.5 million for Kashmiri earthquake victims and in recent years raised money for Pakistan flood victims with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s mother in law.

Prior to his media career and during his time as a fantastic lawyer in the UK, Dr Malik was always fighting for justice of the minority groups and immigrants and prisoners rights including ensuring muslim prisoners (as well as schoolchildren) have the right to halal meat. Dr Malik also changed the law, giving rights for people to have prayer rooms at airports. He made government enemies by successfully challenging government decisions on a regular basis in the High Court, holding the government to account.

Because Dr Malik challenged the establishment, the Home Office thought he was crazy and he was not flavour of the month and tried to do all sorts of things and dirty tricks to stop him working because they could not beat him in court.

Although modest about his wealth, Dr Malik is already a multi-millionaire and his current property and banking projects are on course to make him a billionaire within the next few years.

In the 80’s he had his own aircraft which he used to charter to Malta and Spain. He also had his own financial company which was listed on the stock exchange. He had his own mortgage company. Dr Malik also had a unit trust fund investment company where he would invest funds on behalf of clients in the Far East and Asia where investors would make hundreds of thousands of pounds returns.

Crazy as he is, we all love Dr Malik as he has a big heart and does a lot for his community. Nothing stops him making money even when he’s not trying. Keep up the good work Dr Malik.

Article by Thomas Jones, (Former employee)

Aneel Mussarat was born in Manchester in 1970 to Pakistani parents settled in Manchester from Faisalabad city. Aneel was ranked the 466th richest person in the United Kingdom and 21st richest Asian in the UK in 2007 by the Sunday Times.[1] He is founder of MCR Property Group.Classic Homes After completing high school, Aneel Mussarat engaged in collecting rent and managing properties that his family owned. Despite having bitter experiences with tenants, Aneel found interest in this sector and decided to engage completely in the property business. Aneel started to buy,renovate and rent out properties in Manchester. That were within the range of £10,000. Aneel worked dedicatedly in his “buy to let” business and found massive success as time passed. Aneel developed important contacts with the stakeholders of his business. His hardwork and commitment earned him good name and reputation and with his Business relations. Aneel moved up the ladder with time and started managing, constructing, renting out properties through a Private Limited Company named as “Classic Homes”. Aneel’s interest developed further with success and he continued to expand his business further into residential and from residential to commercial sector. Aneel also specialised in student residences in Manchester and the most famous of the project known as “Student Village”. He is also famous by the title of “Student Housing Magnate”. MCR Property In 2006 Aneel merged the residential and commercial businesses into one large group formed to be known as MCR Property Group. MCR now holds a portfolio of in excess of £1,ooo million of which £300 million is the end value of current developments. The Group’s combined holdings place it amongst the largest property groups in the North-West England along with Peel Holdings and Bruntwood. The Group’s commercial holdings return is very competitive and is a major success.It is also expanding outside Manchester with sections of properties in Central London, student accommodations in Liverpool and investment properties in Dubai, Europe and the USA. Group success The goodwill of the group is very high. The Group has already achieved its target of £1 billion before the due date. The group now has set a target of £5 billion for 2020 and is well on the way. The group is one of the best asset management, asset investment companies in the UK. Interests and Critics Aneel is also a producer of Bollywood movies. He has also supposedly financed the APC (All Parties Conference) in Manchester hosted by Nawaz Sharif former Pakistani Prime Minister which involved bringing all political parties of Pakistan on one platform. People close to him say he is kind hearted and caring. He likes people who want to work hard in life the way he spends his life. He is mostly a private person but is sometimes seen in different social gatherings such as Film awards, movie openings and political receptions. He does like to socialise with close family and friends. His interests involve movies, family and travel.   ———————— mcrproperty.com – Aneel Mussarat Aneel Mussarat has been successfully buying, renovating and developing property since the early 1990s. Aneel Mussarat started the business at the age of 17; purchasing small terraced houses in Manchester that he would renovate and either let or trade. The Group has grown substantially from a modest developer of terraced houses in Manchester to a national property company with in excess of £1bn gross assets. This substantial growth is a direct result of the dynamic and ambitious foresight of the founder and is a testament to Aneel’s commitment to the business and personal resolve. Mussarat, 38, is picking up bargains. The Manchester developer bought a portfolio of office and industrial sites for £33m in March. They were on the market last year for £38m. His parent company, MCR Property Group, has a £500m portfolio. ————————– Mussarat’s Mancunian mandate – Aneel Mussarat propertyweek.com Heather Greig-Smith hears how residential tycoon Aneel Mussarat added commercial to his £400m portfolio. Aneel Mussarat has none of the airs and graces you might expect from the owner of a £400m property portfolio. He is hugely apologetic for arriving 10 minutes late and refreshingly open about his financing, developments and plans for the future. Yesterday Mussarat relaunched his companies under the name MCR Property Group, bringing together residential and commercial portfolios. The MCR brand has absorbed previous names such as Classic Homes and Towergate, although some developments will operate as separate vehicles. Aneel Mussarat wants the portfolio to reach £1bn by the end of the decade. It now sits at £400m, and developments estimated to be worth a further £250m will be completed by 2008. It is an ambitious target, but in the last six months Mussarat has been on the acquisitions trail, expanding his team and buying high-profile commercial properties such as 12-14 Piccadilly, Wellington House and 9 Portland Street in Manchester city centre and the 155,000 sq ft (14,415 sq m) Hyde Shopping Centre, Tameside. Those who have worked with Mussarat say he never stops working and makes calls at all hours of the day. Others describe him as a ‘man of mystery’, but one who is starting to appear on the market’s radar. Mark Hayes, former head of investment at Colliers CRE, has joined Mussarat and is handling most acquisitions. Andy Phillips, who joined from Savills, is working on the management side. One MCR scheme that is set to become high profile is 12-14 Piccadilly. Mussarat recently bought the old Barclays bank building, as well as neighbouring vacant land, for more than £2.5m. He is now in negotiations to buy another building behind the site. MCR plans to develop a tower of at least 14 storeys (see box, overleaf). The scheme is close to other planned tower developments and Mussarat says he is in discussions with the city council, which is supportive of the idea. Aneel Mussarat’s seemingly sudden rise to prominence hides long years of experience. He has been a prolific private investor since the late 1980s. When he left school at 16 he started refurbishing residential properties, trading under his own name and then using ‘Classic Homes’ from 1991. He also refurbished properties to sell to housing associations. This grew to include new-build developments, and about six years ago Mussarat started to dabble in small commercial premises. Then in 2003 he bought student halls at Manchester Student Village housing 1,000 students. He has another 360 student units on Wilmslow Road in Manchester and has just agreed heads of terms on halls in Liverpool. high finance ‘It’s been a gradual progression really. In 2000 we were worth £125m. By the end of the decade we want to touch the £1bn mark, and we do feel we’re on course to do that,’ he says. Mussarat is candid about his financial arrangements. He has relationships with Barclays, Bank of Ireland, Nationwide, Bank of Scotland, Anglo Irish and HSBC. “We like retail a lot. Retailers want to keep expanding and people need somewhere to shop ” Aneel Mussarat ‘We wouldn’t have been able to expand this way without a good relationship with the banks,’ says Mussarat. He is especially complimentary about Nationwide, which he says has supported him ‘to the tune of £200m’. He adds: ‘We can borrow money at very competitive rates – around 1% above LIBOR for investment and 1.25% for development.’ He is keen to find more property. MCR invited more than 400 people to yesterday’s lavish launch in Manchester. ‘Hopefully it will raise our profile. We’re making a conscious effort to do that so people so people think of us as buyers before they think of others,’ he says. As far as the Manchester commercial property market is concerned, Mussarat has appeared from nowhere and is buying aggressively, leading some to question whether he can now deliver the development and refurbishment required. Michael Hawkins, partner at WHR, says Mussarat is building a good team. ‘It is well known that he has bought very aggressively. The Key now is for Aneel to implement the plans necessary to drive the portfolio forward and retain tenants who are subject to flexible leases in a sophisticated office market,’ he says. we are family Property for Mussarat is a family affair. His brother, Nabeel Chowdery, is also a property investor and the two have done business together in the past. In July Chowdery sold the Island Site in Manchester to Reflect Developments for £15m, after buying Mussarat’s share six months earlier. They recently planned to buy Star City in Birmingham, for around £90m, with Mussarat as the sleeping partner, but have decided they are uncomfortable with elements of the lease. ‘We’re walking away because of title issues we weren’t comfortable with,’ he says. The scheme is now under offer to REIT Asset Management. Mussarat and his brother are now looking at development opportunities in London together. ‘Family dinners can be fun,’ he jokes. Chowdery is friends with boxer Amir Khan and the brothers can usually be found in the front row at his fights. MCR is keen to purchase more retail schemes and is looking at buying a shopping centre in Bristol. In August it bought new-build scheme Huyton Shopping Centre from Development Securities for £24m, and it owns about 60 individual shops across the north-west. ‘We like retail a lot. Retailers want to keep expanding and people need somewhere to shop,’ he says. ‘I don’t think the internet will take over. People need recreation.’ However, MCR is also looking at an industrial portfolio in Liverpool, which is 500,000 sq ft (46,500 sq m) on a 24 acre (9.7 ha) site and would not need much refurbishment. Over the next 18 months the company will dispose of many of the smaller properties Mussarat has acquired over the years. Aneel Mussarat ‘Rather than having 100 houses scattered over an area we’d rather have a cluster of them,’ he says. At the moment the portfolio is mainly located in the north between Carlisle and Birmingham, but recently Mussarat has been looking further south. He is good at taking chances, reputedly buying £30m of residential property from troubled Jarvis one Christmas Eve. He hopes to open an office in the capital in the near future. ‘In the next 12 to 18 months we’d like to open an office in London and we’re trying to recruit a surveyor,’ says Mussarat. ‘We’d like to have a bit of the action down there.’ While MCR is picking up more and more commercial property, there is no move to abandon the residential core of the business. ‘Residential is still 75%-80% of the business,’ says Mussarat. ‘I think it will remain strongest. I’ve been doing it for 17 years.’ ——————– Mussarat move – Aneel Mussarat David Thame – manchestereveningnews.co.uk May 30, 2006 STUDENT-housing magnate Aneel Mussarat has made a ’43m move into commercial property. Mr Mussarat, who operates under the Classic Homes banner, has been well known in the south Manchester and student housing markets but has now bought a series of city centre office blocks in deals valued at ’13m. His companies are also reported to have bought Hyde shopping centre from Boultbee Properties for around ’30m. Mr Mussarat has lured investment director Mark Hayes from Manchester agency Colliers CRE to head his investment and development portfolio. The new business will be re-branded as the MCR Property Group. The latest deals have seen Mr Mussarat’s empire acquire the former GMPTE offices at 9 Portland Street for around ‘5m. The 60,000 sq ft block is likely to be refurbished and could have a value on completion of as much as ’22m. Piccadilly The company acquired Wellington House – a 21,200 sq ft office building, located in the heart of Piccadilly – for in excess of ‘5m. In a separate move it acquired an 11,500 sq ft building next to the Malmaison Hotel, Piccadilly, paying ‘2.5m to owners Barclays. Mr Mussarat plans to extend the 155,000 sq ft Hyde shopping centre by 100,000 sq ft, which would dramatically increase its value. Mr Mussarat’s publicists say that he now controls a property empire with a ‘350m portfolio. His various property companies – including Tower Gate Developments and Manchester Student Village – will be consolidated into one property business as MCR Property Group. Mr Hayes explained: “Over the next two to three years we are looking to acquire in the region of ‘400m worth of commercial property investment and development throughout the North West.” “Classic Homes is a very dynamic property company and I am delighted to be involved with this rapidly developing business. “It has a strong desire to grow and as it continues to go from strength to strength I am looking forward to the exciting challenges that this opportunity will present.” Mr Mussarat, 37, founded the Classic Homes business in 1989. MCR Property Group has yet to file accounts. Towergate Developments has net assets of ‘2.7m according to figures for the year to March 31, 2005. This site is for Mr Mussarat   ———————-   Developer aims flats at NHS staff and academics – Aneel Mussarat crainsmanchesterbusiness.co.uk MCR Property Group branches out from student housing schemes along Oxford Road corridor By Simon Binns MCR Property Group Ltd, the Manchester property developer led by managing director Aneel Mussarat, is planning a luxury residential scheme near the city’s busy university and hospital district. The Rusholme-based company is about to begin construction on a block of 55 two-bedroom apartments on Grafton Street, off Oxford Road, opposite the Manchester Royal Infirmary entrance gates. The building will have retail space on the ground floor. Mussarat told Crain’s he felt the location would appeal to hospital staff or academics wanting to be near their workplace and the city centre. “It will be a high-end development and we think it is a good strategic location,” he said. “That part of the city, around the Oxford Road corridor, has been very good to us and we would be keen to do more in that area — although there isn’t much land left to develop now. We’ve gradually put together the site since 2000 and now we are ready to begin work.” Aneel Mussarat Mussarat had feared it would take a long time to assemble the site, previously a row of shops in a number of ownerships, but the process was speeded up when the university approached him to acquire a site MCR owned elsewhere. He agreed, on condition that a university-owned piece of the Grafton Street site was included in part-exchange. Previously MCR has developed only student housing in the Oxford Road corridor — along with Manchester-based Opal Property Group Ltd it is responsible for many of the 3,000 or so flats in the area. The latest development is a sign of how the area has improved, said Mussarat, who said he was pleased with the ongoing regeneration of the Oxford Road corridor, being carried out by the City South Partnership under the guidance of Manchester City Council. He said: “The city council has done a fantastic job so far and we think Oxford Road will only improve more as a location in the future.” MCR has also just completed a development of 130 student apartments on the corner of nearby Hathersage Road and Daisy Bank Road, in Rusholme. ‘Watch this space’ The scheme lies just behind the Victoria Baths, where a publicly-funded restoration project got under way but then stalled because of financial problems. Mussarat said he believed Victoria Baths would be ideal for conversion into a leisure club. Asked if he would consider making an offer for the building in order to complete the revamp, he simply replied: “Watch this space.” MCR has nearly 600 student flats near the universities and student accommodation represents a significant percentage of the firm’s overall revenue. “The asset value of the business is 65 per cent from residential development and student accommodation makes up around 25 per cent of that, so it’s a very important and very good market for us,” he said. “There are nearly 3,000 students beds in and around the Oxford Road area and filling them year on year doesn’t seem to be a problem. Voids are short and defaults are inexpensive, compared to commercial units, so it is a market that really works well. There is always the scope to put rents up too, although only in line with inflation at the moment.” Jackie Potter, chief executive of the City South Partnership, said it was encouraging to see private schemes being built in and around Oxford Road. “We’re pleased to see development happening. There are several positive schemes in the pipeline for Oxford Road, of which this is one,” she said. “The idea of having more student use and accommodation in that area will add to its vibrancy and provide opportunities for more commercial developments. Aneel Mussarat “Parts of our plans are improving the retail and food and drink offering and a greater population will encourage that.” MCR is also planning a development of 72 apartments and houses off Rochdale Road in Harpurhey and is finalising a decision on how best to progress the proposed missed-use scheme at 1 Water Street, off Regent Road, formerly the site of a Harry Ramsden’s restaurant. ———————– Aneel’s £10.75 Mersery move – Aneel Mussarat manchestereveningnews.co.uk ANEEL MUSSARAT’S property empire is expanding into Liverpool after a £10.75m deal. MCR Property Group has bought a mixed office and retail building at 2 Moorfields in the heart of Liverpool’s financial district. It paid £10.75m in a deal with British Land. The buy, MCR’s first in the city, sees it take control of a 63,000 sq ft block, with tenants including Norwich Union, Yorkshire Bank and the Department of Health. Mark Hayes, investment director at MCR, said: “We have been looking to gain a foothold in the Liverpool market for some time. This represented an opportunity to acquire a quality building in the central business district of Liverpool, multi-let to predominantly institutional-grade tenants. The building offers a number of interesting asset management initiatives, which we will be looking to trigger immediately. “We see this as a long-term investment, and we will be looking to upgrade accommodation and common parts over the next few years, which will enable us to move rents forward.” The firm says the purchase will be the first of many in the city, although it will not say how much it plans to invest in Merseyside. MCR’s Mark Hayes said: “Whilst I cannot provide a figure, we would be delighted to invest further sums in Liverpool on a deal-by-deal basis.” DDM Partners acted on behalf of MCR Property Group, and CBRE represented British Land. What do you think? Have your say. This site is for Mr Aneel   MCR Property Group

Dr Liaqat Malik is not just crazy, he is intelligent as well. Dr Liaqat Malik holds a PhD from the University of Manchester in Administrative and Public Law, a Masters Degree in Legal Studies from the University of Wolverhampton, a Graduate Diploma in Public Law from Staffordshire University, solicitors qualifying exams from the College of Law/BPP Law School.

Dr Liaqat Malik won 7 Lawyer of the Year awards during his career. He had over 30 reported cases where landmark decisions were made by the Courts. Dr Malik also made an average of 4-500 judicial review applications to the High Court to develop public law, prison law, immigration etc.

Dr Malik is one of the most highly qualified Pakistanis in the UK. Although he has helped politicians in the past, he never took an active role in the government. When Imran Khan started the PTI, Dr Malik was the only media company who broadcast and gave him airtime in the UK and worldwide. Now every other media channel has jumped on the bandwagon.

Dr Malik’s projects in the pipeline will not only help the UK economy but also the Pakistani economy as he is planning on building 5,000 properties in his home town of Faislabad and 200 in the UK. His banking project will also create many new jobs and wealth in both countries.

I have seen Dr Malik in action as his former manager. We travelled to Hong Kong, the Philippines and Africa where Dr Malik represented politicians, government officials and businessmen and acted as arbitrator in many instances.

Dr Malik has a positive attitude towards business and can make millions. Although he is intelligent he is crazy. If anyone should utilise their expertise and enter politics it is him.

Jim Hodgkinson
Former Manager

I found on the web I did not know Dr Liaqat Malik was Member of Immigration Law Panel from 1999 to 2002 and than extended for further 3 years to 2004 – Zindabad Dr Malik you served well the Pakistan community proud of you

Dr Liaqat Malik top constitutional Lawyer WHAT. A ACHIEVEMENTS

I have“` found number of testimonial about Dr Liaqat Malik as top leading Lawyer from various website and social media going back some years
WHAT. A ACHIEVEMENTS

Dr Liaqat Malik is the leading top ten lawyer in Constitution Law in the UK with a PhD in Constitution Law at the University of Manchester, former lecturer in Public Law at the University of Manchester and Salford.

It is a pleasure to write about Dr Malik and his achievements. I am aware that during his legal career he defended over 35 murder cases and numerous judicial reviews in the High Court, Court of Appeal and he Supreme Court, including many public interest cases and cases involving people asserting their constitutional rights.

The new Pakistan government needs to reform their constitutional law such as issues about court services, electoral law, civil and criminal procedure, access to justice, employment rights and amendments to the constitutional law in order to recruit key workers such as overseas Pakistani and I believe that Dr Malik can assist in this as a legal expert and analyst. In his career there has been so many cases he represented which changed the law and made a great contribution to the fundamental rights of individuals.

Pakistan needs to move on with the times. There is so much red tape due to the involvement of politicians and in most cases the politicians decide who gets what job. The executive has no say.

The Pakistan constitution needs to be modernised to reflect the change in times and so that individuals know their legal rights and access to justice.

I have known Dr Malik for over 30 years and he is a well respected member of the Pakistani community.

Shoukat Chaudhry
Advocate
Advisor to the Diplomatic Missions