PESHAWAR – What started as whispers of financial mismanagement in Kohistan has exploded into one of the largest corruption scandals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s history. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has uncovered a staggering web of fraud worth Rs40 billion, seizing an array of luxury cars, prime real estate, and cash hoards that look straight out of a crime thriller.
NAB officials say they have already frozen assets worth about Rs25 billion. Among the most striking discoveries are 77 top-end vehicles worth Rs940 million – names like Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Porsche Taycan, Toyota Land Cruiser, Lexus, and even a Ford Mustang. Alongside the cars, investigators found over Rs1 billion in cash, piles of foreign currency, and more than 3 kilograms of gold.
But the corruption trail runs far deeper. Authorities have seized 109 properties across major cities – Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Abbottabad, and Mansehra. These include luxury farmhouses, commercial plazas, high-rise flats, penthouses, agricultural land, and a lavish bungalow that once made an appearance in the hit drama Pari Zaad. The total estimated value of these properties is a jaw-dropping Rs17 billion.
The scandal, according to NAB sources, was no ordinary case of embezzlement. It was a carefully crafted network involving government officials, private contractors, and even complicit banking authorities. They quietly siphoned billions from the public treasury without triggering alarms in financial regulatory systems.
As preparations for high-profile arrests intensify, officials say detentions could happen within hours. The case is being seen as a turning point in Pakistan’s ongoing battle against systemic corruption.