Pakistani Politician Loses Rs18m Gold Watch in Barcelona Street Robbery
A family vacation in Spain took a costly turn for Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Abdul Qadir Gilani when a thief in Barcelona snatched his gold-plated watch—valued at over Rs18.4 million—before disappearing into the crowd.
Gilani, son of former prime minister and current Senate Chairman Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, said the watch had been with him for over a decade. “I bought it 13 years ago when gold was much cheaper; prices are about triple now,” he explained. The theft reportedly happened while he was with his family, and, in a twist of misfortune, his host in the city also lost their watch in a separate but similar incident.
Unfazed, the Multan-based politician downplayed the loss, remarking, “As long as there’s life, there’s the world—these things come and go.”
The stolen piece is now worth far more than its original purchase price, making the robbery one of the more high-value street crimes involving a Pakistani political figure overseas in recent years.
The Gilani family remains one of Pakistan’s most prominent political dynasties. Three brothers—Abdul Qadir Gilani, Ali Musa Gilani, and Qasim Gilani—currently sit in the National Assembly, while another brother, Ali Haider Gilani, serves in the Punjab Assembly. Interestingly, Ali Musa and Qasim are twins, and all three younger brothers were born on April 10, 1986.
The family was in the headlines last year over unverified claims that several members, including Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani, had travelled to London on taxpayer money. MNA Qasim Gilani denied the allegations, insisting the trip was entirely private and self-funded.
