ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s top anti-graft watchdog has posted unprecedented recovery figures for the first six months of 2025, retrieving a total of Rs547 billion in assets and funds, according to its latest mid-year performance report.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said the bulk of this came in the April–June quarter, when it managed to recover Rs456 billion — a jump of more than fourfold compared to the Rs91 billion secured in the year’s first quarter.
Massive Property and Fund Restitution
Of the total recovered in the first half of 2025, Rs532 billion worth of movable and immovable assets have already been transferred to federal and provincial ministries, departments, and financial institutions.
The bureau also returned compensation to 12,611 victims of various fraud and “cheating public-at-large” cases — a long-standing area of criticism in Pakistan where scams often leave victims without restitution.
Scale of Operations Outpaces Past Performance
In just the past two years, NAB says it has recovered Rs5.85 trillion in assets, a figure dwarfing the Rs839 billion it managed in the decades since its inception until that point. That’s an increase of more than 700% in recovery performance.
Officials attribute the surge to what they call more aggressive investigation strategies, stronger coordination with provincial authorities, and expanded use of asset-tracing techniques.
Targeting Illegally Held State Land
A major focus now is reclaiming public land under illegal possession. NAB estimates that around Rs5 trillion worth of state-owned plots and properties remain unlawfully occupied. Work is under way with provincial revenue departments to identify and repossess these assets.
Analysts note that while these numbers signal a more active accountability drive, NAB’s long-term credibility will hinge on ensuring these recoveries lead to systemic reforms, not just high-profile seizures.
