KARACHI: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Lieutenant General (retired) Nazir Ahmed Butt has revealed that documents for 7,500 acres of land in Karachi were falsified, resulting in corruption worth Rs3,000 billion.
“If we open these files, it will cause a great upheaval,” he stated while addressing a meeting with the Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) on Tuesday.
Decades-Long Land Scandals
- For 40 years, the Lyari Development Authority (LDA), Karachi Development Authority (KDA), and Malir Development Authority (MDA) have failed to hand over possession to allottees.
- NAB has urged ABAD to provide solid evidence of irregularities, promising action against those responsible.
- The issue of Karachi’s land is more complicated than the Kashmir issue, according to the NAB chairman.
Illegal Constructions & Land Mismanagement
- NAB has called on ABAD to submit proof of 85,000 illegal buildings in Karachi for either demolition or regularization.
- No proper record-keeping system exists for land in Sindh, with multiple unlinked land departments creating room for fraud.
- NAB will take major action soon regarding Sindh’s land records.
Massive Recoveries & Anti-Corruption Efforts
- In the past eight months, NAB recovered 1.8 million acres of agricultural land in Sindh, worth Rs4,000 billion, handing it back to the Revenue Department.
- 21,000 old complaints (filed before 2022) have been dismissed under new reforms.
- A regional NAB office has been established in Gwadar to tackle land corruption cases worth Rs3,000 billion.
ABAD’s Recommendations & Criticism
- ABAD Chairman Muhammad Hassan Bakhshi criticized rampant corruption in Sindh’s land authorities.
- He highlighted the absence of a transparent land auction policy, claiming that land is sold to favored individuals instead.
- He suggested that a land grant policy could generate Rs500 billion in revenue for the Sindh government.
- ABAD Patron-in-Chief Mohsin Sheikhani proposed that:
- All land transactions should be verified by NAB to eliminate corruption.
- Sindh’s land records should be digitized through a third-party service to prevent manipulation by corrupt officials.
Future Measures
- NAB has instructed its Director General to report on Karachi’s master plan oversight.
- A new real estate policy is being formulated, requiring all transactions to be conducted through banks for transparency.
- NAB has assured strict action against any of its officers involved in harassment or abuse of power.
The revelations highlight the deep-rooted corruption in Karachi’s land sector, with NAB now signaling major reforms and crackdowns to restore transparency.
