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Tag: NAB

  • New portal being launched to curb housing scams

    New portal being launched to curb housing scams

    National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is preparing to roll out a new digital platform aimed at curbing housing fraud by giving the public direct access to verified information about private housing schemes across the country.


    The Online Property Information System (OPIS) will allow citizens, including overseas Pakistanis, to check approved layout plans of housing societies and confirm plot locations before making investments. The system has been developed after NAB collected verified layout plans for over 1,000 housing projects nationwide.


    NAB Islamabad/Rawalpindi region’s Director General, Waqar Chauhan, said that the platform is ready for launch and will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the coming days.


    “With this system, people will no longer have to rely on agents or unofficial sources. Anyone, even from abroad, will be able to verify the layout and legal standing of a housing scheme online,” he said while speaking to a private media outlet. 


    Officials say OPIS is designed as a preventive tool to counter the activities of land grabbers and fraudulent developers by bringing provincial governments, regulators and local authorities onto a single platform.


    The portal will provide verified details on the legal status, approved layout plans and available land of private housing societies, helping buyers safeguard their savings from unapproved or fake real estate projects.


    To ensure accuracy, NAB has coordinated with provincial secretaries, regulatory bodies and local governments to supply authenticated data. The information will be housed in a central national database, allowing early verification and reducing the risk of fraud before financial losses occur.

  • NAB claims gold mining operations costing KP trillions in revenue

    NAB claims gold mining operations costing KP trillions in revenue

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has reportedly uncovered large financial irregularities in the auction and operation of placer gold mining along the Kabul and Indus rivers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). According to reports, these mining operations may have caused losses worth trillions of rupees to the provincial government.

    For reference, placer mining is a process of extracting gold from riverbed deposits formed through natural accumulation. NAB has reportedly raised concerns over the bidding process, particularly the minimum reserve price set for gold blocks during auctions.

    NAB revealed that the minimum reserve prices at auctions were intentionally miscalculated to favour certain entities partaking in the bidding process. According to reports, NAB has indicated that leaseholders are subletting mining rights to excavator owners, charging as low as Rs500,000 per excavator for an entire week’s access to the mining site.

    As per the details, a whopping 1,500 excavators were operating in KP, generating weekly earnings of up to Rs1.05 billion. However, reports maintain that the provincial government received only a minor portion of this amount as proceeds to the provincial exchequer. 

    KP Chief Minister (CM) Ali Amin Gandapur has hailed the auction of mines as a successful endeavour, outlining the benefits of mining operations. According to KP’s CM, the recent auctions witnessed access to mines being priced at higher amounts to generate larger revenue inflows.

    Moreover, he reportedly revealed that the minimum price of gold blocks at auctions jumped from just Rs650 million to a respectable Rs1.1 billion, which translates into a 69.23 percent increase. The CM further underlined that the lease of four gold blocks at a ten-year term fetched a staggering Rs4.6 billion for the provincial exchequer. 

    As per KP’s CM, illegal mining has been rampant in the province for over 20 years, and successive governments have failed to host an auction for the sale of mining rights to firms. However, he outlined how his administration took measures to crack down on province-wide illegal mining operations.

    According to reports, he also highlighted that the venture was advertised multiple times and that details of the auction were also provided to the NAB. Defending the provincial government’s moves, the CM revealed that an officer from the NAB was present at the auction’s proceedings.

    Details from reports, however, highlight leaseholders generating trillions of rupees in revenue via illegal means, leaving the government with marginal revenue inflows.

  • Bahria Town in deep trouble as NAB seals Malik Riaz’s properties over ‘frauds worth billions’

    Bahria Town in deep trouble as NAB seals Malik Riaz’s properties over ‘frauds worth billions’

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday claimed that it had sealed “numerous” commercial and residential properties of the owner of Bahria Town, Malik Riaz, across the country for “defrauding people of billions of rupees.”

    The accountability watchdog issued a press release on Monday, stating that it “once again informs the public that several cases of fraud and deception against Malik Riaz Ahmed, owner of Bahria Town, and others are currently under investigation.”

    In January 2025, following the conviction of former premier Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the 190 million pound case, NAB cautioned the public against investing in Bahria Town’s new real estate project in Dubai, emphasising that the government was reaching out to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to seek Riaz’s extradition through legal avenues.

    NAB had earlier also alleged that the property tycoon was developing housing societies under the name of Bahria Town “in a duplicitous manner” in other cities, including Peshawar and Jamshoro, by “illegally possessing/occupying land” and failing to procure the same mandatory regulatory permissions and legal documents.

    NAB on Monday further claimed that multiple cases had been filed against Riaz along with others in accountability courts in Karachi and Islamabad, and the courts have summoned them all.

    The accountability watchdog said, “In these cases, there are allegations and irrefutable evidence against Malik Riaz Ahmed and his associates for illegally occupying not only the government but also private land in the name of Bahria Town in Karachi, Takht Pari Rawalpindi, and New Murree, establishing housing societies without permission, and defrauding people of billions of rupees.”

    “In recent actions related to this, numerous commercial and residential properties of Bahria Town in Karachi, Lahore, Takht Pari, New Murree/Golf City, and Islamabad have been sealed, including multi-story commercial buildings.”

    Furthermore, claiming that hundreds of bank accounts and vehicles in Bahria Town have been frozen, the anti-corruption watchdog said, “NAB will continue its legal actions against Bahria Town Pakistan without any delay or pressure to protect the rights of the citizens of Pakistan fully.”

    “Malik Riaz Ahmed, who is currently residing in Dubai as a court absconder in the NCA [UK’s National Crime Agency] case, has recently launched a new project of construction of luxury apartments there,” it said.

    “Since NAB has also strong evidence of money laundering against Malik Riaz Ahmed and his associates, these funds have been sent to foreign countries through illegal means. Any funds transferred from Pakistan for this project will be considered money laundering, and legal action will be taken against the involved elements without discrimination,” it added.

  • NAB chief warns of capital flight as 25,000 Pakistanis shift funds abroad for foreign citizenship

    NAB chief warns of capital flight as 25,000 Pakistanis shift funds abroad for foreign citizenship

    National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman, retired Lieutenant Gen Nazir Ahmed Butt, has warned that approximately 25,000 individuals may have shifted significant capital abroad to acquire citizenship through investment.

    NAB Chairman, while speaking at the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Wednesday, underscored the need to curb both brain drain and capital flight to retain Pakistan’s human and financial resources.

    An analysis by Pulse Consultants, An Overview of Pakistani Emigration Patterns (2008-2024), based on data from the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, found that around 10 million Pakistanis have moved abroad in search of work since 2008. These Pakistanis working overseas contributed a significant $30.251 million in remittances in the fiscal year 2023-24.

    Of these, approximately 2.389 million moved abroad during the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) era from 2008 to 2013. According to the analysis, a whopping 3.54 million people moved abroad during the time of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government from 2013 to 2018.

    Another 1.75 million Pakistanis left the country under Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) aborted tenure from 2018 to 2022. The incumbent Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government, however, has seen nearly the same figure, 1.67 million, leave in just the past two years, from 2022 to 2024.

    NAB Chairman maintained that if the nation focused on growth, the country had the potential to become a trillion-dollar economy within the next six to seven years, according to the KCCI’s press release.

    He asserted that rice exports alone had reached $3.8 billion, while total agricultural exports touched $9 billion. Pakistan had shifted from an agriculture-import-driven economy to an export-driven one, a positive trend that should be leveraged, he added.

    He also emphasised that Pakistan must focus on improving its competitiveness rather than relying on trade agreements such as the European Union’s GSP+ preferential tariff scheme.

    NAB Chairman further reiterated NAB’s commitment to creating a fair business environment and discouraging harassment by government departments.

    Meanwhile, Businessmen Group (BMG) Chairman Zubair Motiwala said Pakistan’s IT sector had the potential to reach $30 billion in exports, but this potential was being undermined due to harassment by numerous departments.

  • VIDEO: Here’s what happened when Shahzad Akbar reached Pakistan High Commission for NAB inquiry

    VIDEO: Here’s what happened when Shahzad Akbar reached Pakistan High Commission for NAB inquiry

    Former prime minister (PM) Imran Khan’s special assistant on accountability Mirza Shahzad Akbar on Thursday visited the Pakistan High Commission (PHC) in London’s Knightsbridge to seek permission for attending the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) inquiries against him via video link.

    The PHC, however, reportedly refused to let him in.

    Speaking to journalist Murtaza Ali Shah outside the high commission, Akbar alleged that the accountability watchdog was intentionally preventing him from appearing in the multiple investigations against him.

    “There is a clear, known and established political motivation behind these cases against me, yet I am offering to join the investigation via video link from the United Kingdom [UK]. I have offered to do so from the Pakistan High Commission in London as well, but there has been no response. Instead, I was responded to with media trials. There is a clear threat to my life and liberty,” the former head of the Asset Recovery Unit (ARU) said.

    Akbar said he had filed the writ petition with the Islamabad High Court regarding the Al-Qadir Trust case a long time ago and NAB was adamant on an in-person inquiry rather than video link. “I was summoned again in person on February 6, 2025, in Islamabad as another attempt to harass me. I have come here to stress again that I am available for a video-link interview and happy to provide any legally sought documents.”

    The ex-ARU head maintained that there was precedent available where several people appeared before probe teams via video-link. “In the Memogate scandal, Hussain Haqqani [former Pakistan ambassador to the US] and Mansoor Ijaz appeared from London via video link to present their defence. I want the same facility,” he said.

    On being asked about his government denying requests by Mian Saleem Raza and Nasir Butt to appear before NAB in Judge Arshad Malik’s video case via video link, Akbar said the decisions back then were made “elsewhere”.

    “I have sympathy for Mian Saleem Raza and Nasir Mahmood. The difference is they didn’t name who was behind the cases against them… I and many others in PTI have named the people behind these cases,” he said, noting that “those filing cases against PML-N back then were now doing the same against the PTI”.

    “There is a lesson in it for the politicians to come together and work towards the supremacy of Pakistan’s Constitution,” he said.

  • NAB contacts FIA to extradite Malik Riaz via Interpol, source

    NAB contacts FIA to extradite Malik Riaz via Interpol, source

    In an interesting development, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has written a letter to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to extradite property tycoon Malik Riaz in Pakistan, a source said.

    As per a source, the FIA will secure Riaz’s extradition from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and then hand him over to NAB.

    Interpol is an intergovernmental organisation that facilitates police cooperation among 196 member countries.

     
    Interpol’s work focuses on four pressing areas of international crime: terrorism, cybercrime, organised crime, and financial crime with anti-corruption efforts. 

    Following former premier Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi’s conviction in the £190 million case, commonly known as the Al-Qadir Trust case, on January 17, the accountability watchdog said in a press release that Riaz was an absconder in the same case and they had already frozen a number of his assets.


    “Mr Malik Riaz is residing in Dubai, UAE. He has recently launched a project for the construction of luxury apartments in Dubai, UAE. The general public at large is hereby advised and warned to refrain from investing in the stated project. If the general public at large invests in the stated project, their actions would tantamount to money laundering, for which they may face criminal/ legal proceedings,” the press release read.

     
    The controversial property tycoon, in response to the NAB press release against his Dubai-based project, took to X (formerly Twitter) last week, warning, “I am holding back, but there is a storm within me. If this dam breaks, then everyone’s façade will shatter. Don’t forget that the secrets of the past 25–30 years are preserved along with evidence.”

    “My decision yesterday was the same as it is today: no matter how much oppression you inflict, I (Malik Riaz) will not testify,” he said.

  • NAB comes out swinging against Bahria Town project in Dubai; Malik Riaz calls it blackmail

    NAB comes out swinging against Bahria Town project in Dubai; Malik Riaz calls it blackmail

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday cautioned the public against investing in Bahria Town’s new real estate project in Dubai, emphasising that the government was reaching out to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to seek property tycoon Malik Riaz’s extradition through legal avenues. 

    “Mr Malik Riaz is residing in Dubai, UAE. He has recently launched a project for the construction of luxury apartments in Dubai, UAE. The general public at large is hereby advised and warned to refrain from investing in the stated project. If the general public at large invests in the stated project, their actions would tantamount to money laundering, for which they may face criminal/ legal proceedings,” the anti-corruption watchdog said in a press release carried by Radio Pakistan on Tuesday. 

    It added, “The government of Pakistan is reaching out to the government of UAE for the extradition of Malik Riaz through legal channels.”

    Pakistan and the UAE do have an extradition treaty, and Islamabad can legally request the Gulf country to extradite the real estate mogul.

    The development came following the conviction of former Premier Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the Al Qadir Trust case, commonly known as the 190 Million Pounds case, in which both were sentenced to 14 years and seven years in jail, respectively.

    Property tycoon Malik Riaz and his son are also co-accused and proclaimed offenders in the Al Qadir Trust case.  

    NAB recounted that Malik Riaz was wanted by the court with the watchdog already having frozen innumerable assets belonging to him and to Bahria Town.

    NAB was conducting investigations against Malik Riaz and his associates for “fraud, deceptive practices and cheating public at large,” said the anti-corruption watchdog.

    The watchdog said it had “cogent and credible information about the fact that Mr Malik Riaz and his accomplices have not only illegally possessed/occupied state-owned land but also land belonging to private persons situated at Karachi, Takht-Pari, Rawalpindi and New Murree.

    “He is using these lands for developing housing societies without obtaining mandatory/required regulatory permissions/no objection certificates and has committed fraud against the state and general public at large to the tune of billions of rupees.”


    NAB alleged that the property tycoon was developing housing societies under the name of Bahria Town “in a duplicitous manner” in other cities, including Peshawar and Jamshoro, by “illegally possessing/occupying land” and failing to procure the same mandatory regulatory permissions and legal documents.

    It added that he continued to “defraud the general public at large by selling them plots/files in these illegal housing societies” despite neither he nor Bahria Town having a “good/clear title” to any of the lands in “these illegal housing societies”.

    In reply, Malik Riaz declared the press release a blackmail tactic, threatening to unleash the “storm” within him. 

    “NAB’s baseless press release today is actually a new blackmailing demand. I am holding back, but there is a storm within me. If this dam breaks, then everyone’s façade will shatter. Don’t forget that the secrets of the past 25–30 years are preserved along with evidence,” he warned on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.

    Riaz stressed that he will neither be used against anyone nor will anyone blackmail him, adding, “My decision yesterday was the same as it is today: no matter how much oppression you inflict, I (Malik Riaz) will not testify.”

  • Sindh govt unaware: NAB recovers Rs 6 trillion worth of land

    Sindh govt unaware: NAB recovers Rs 6 trillion worth of land

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has recovered 90 per cent of 18 lac acres of land in Sindh of which the provincial government was reportedly unaware.

    Prominent journalist Asif Bashir Chaudhary has revealed on a YouTube show ‘Talk SHOCK’ that NAB sent notices to the occupants of the land, ordering them to show the documents as proof of ownership. However, they failed to produce the required documents.

    “Possession land belongs to Sukkur and Karachi forest reserves,” he revealed, adding that the Ministry of Forest did not have a record of land.

    He revealed that Chairman NAB Lt Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmad, who had complete documents of recovered 16,200,00 acres, presented to Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah.

    The CM Sindh was, reportedly, unaware of the news.

    “The estimated cost of recovered land is six trillion rupees,” he concluded.

  • Supreme Court upholds NAB amendments, rejects Imran Khan’s appeal

    Supreme Court upholds NAB amendments, rejects Imran Khan’s appeal

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday approved the intra-court appeal, upholding amendments in the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO).

    A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa announced the 5-0 majority verdict and remarked that respondent former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and other parties failed to prove NAO amendments unconstitutional.

    The apex court noted that the CJP and other judges “cannot be the gatekeepers of the parliament.”

    A larger apex court bench stressed, “whenever possible, the Supreme Court should strive to maintain legislation” enacted by the parliament.

    In 2022, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) led government made several amendments to NAO’s laws, including limiting the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) jurisdiction to investigate over Rs 500 million cases and restricting the tenure of the NAB chairman to three years.

    Imran Khan then moved the apex court, calling the amendments “legitimise corruption.”

    In September 2023, a Supreme Court bench led by the then CJP Umar Ata Bandial, ruled 2-1 to restore corruption cases, declaring Khan’s plea legitimate, which the provincials and federal government challenged.

  • NAB’s existence will keep country paralyzed, says Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

    NAB’s existence will keep country paralyzed, says Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

    Former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) continued existence will keep the country immobilized.

    The former leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) told journalists that the government had promised to end NAB after coming into power, but they have empowered it with an ordinance.

    “Javed Iqbal (former NAB chief) was saying that the PTI’s founder has been behind NAB cases, while PTI founder’s partymen are saying Qamar Bajwa was registering cases,” Khaqan Abbasi said.