The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has expanded its pursuit of accountability in Pakistan by initiating a full-fledged investigation into the Kohistan corruption scandal. This follows the transition of the case from an initial inquiry to a formal probe, now yielding substantial recoveries.
At the center of the unfolding case is Muhammad Ayub, a contractor now in NAB custody. Information obtained during his interrogation unveiled an extensive trail of corrupt practices involving influential figures across various sectors.
NAB’s operation has already led to the freezing of Rs25 billion worth of assets, including significant quantities of cash, foreign currency, and gold. Authorities have confirmed the seizure of Rs1 billion in liquid assets, along with three kilograms of gold bullion.
Investigators have also frozen 73 bank accounts, leading to the retrieval of Rs5 billion. The operation further unearthed 77 luxury vehicles, whose collective value exceeds Rs940 million—most of them high-end models registered under different aliases.
Perhaps most telling is the scale of real estate holdings recovered. The seized assets include 30 residential homes, 25 flats, 12 commercial buildings, 12 retail shops, 4 expansive farmhouses, and several penthouses, in addition to 175 kanals of cultivated land. These were located across five major districts: Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Abbottabad, and Mansehra.
With this development, NAB is signaling a robust stance on large-scale corruption and illicit wealth accumulation, particularly in cases involving massive financial flows and real estate assets.