In the Spanish city of Barcelona, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Abdul Qadir Gilani was robbed of an expensive gold-plated watch valued at over Rs18.4 million. The thieves fled the scene after snatching the timepiece.
“I bought it 13 years ago when gold was cheaper; now it is three times higher,” said Abdul Qadir Gilani. “I was with my family, and the watch was on my hand,” he added, also mentioning that his host in Barcelona was robbed as well. The PPP lawmaker reflected on the incident, remarking, “As long as there is life, there is the world; such things come and go.”
The current value of the stolen watch, which Gilani said he purchased before gold prices skyrocketed, makes the theft one of the most expensive street crimes involving a Pakistani public figure abroad in recent memory. The Gilani family of Multan is a well-known political dynasty. Three of the brothers — Abdul Qadir Gilani, Ali Musa Gilani, and newly elected MNA Qasim Gilani — are all members of the National Assembly.
They are the sons of former prime minister and current Senate Chairman Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani. Their other brother, Ali Haider Gilani, is a PPP MPA in the Punjab Assembly. In a rare coincidence, MNAs Ali Musa and Qasim, along with Ali Haider, were all born on the same day—April 10, 1986—making the current National Assembly home to a set of twins in Ali Musa and Qasim.
In August 2024, unsubstantiated claims emerged that Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani, along with MNAs Ali Qasim and Abdul Qadir, and their sister Fiza Batool Gilani, had traveled to London using public funds. PPP lawmaker Ali Qasim clarified that the visit was entirely private, funded by the family, and “not costing a penny” to Pakistani taxpayers.
