The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Karachi has launched a sweeping crackdown against influential political figures, builders, and senior government officers allegedly involved in illegal land allotments and massive corruption across Sindh, particularly in Karachi, Mirpurkhas divisions and district Tando Allah yar.
According to credible sources, the operation marks a major step against what NAB officials describe as Sindh’s entrenched ‘land system’, a powerful nexus of political, bureaucratic, and business interests accused of manipulating land records and abusing official authority for personal gain. Arrests of several key figures are said to be imminent.
High-profile figures summoned; under investigations of country’s major corruption watchdog
NAB Karachi has issued formally summoned to many private persons, including of Nadeem Rehman, Javed Rehman, Syed Shahzad Ali residents of Karachi and Saith Roopchand, Doulat Ram, Saith Jhaitha Nanad, Ashoke Kumar residents of Mirpurkhas, reportedly frontmen of politically influential figures former MPA of Sindh Awaiz Muzafar Tappi, Mir Anwar Talpur brother of Mir Munawar Talpur MNA, and officials of the Sindh Board of Revenue and relevant Deputy Commissioner offices of pertinent districts, directing them to appear before the investigation team of Bureau (NAB) with relevant land records. All are accused of encroaching state, Irrigation department (bhada), Evacuee Trust Property Land and precious property and land owned by private persons, facilitating unlawful land allotments through the Sindh Land Utilization Department, the Board of Revenue and DCs’ offices, allegedly earning billions and trillions of rupees in illegal profits.
The investigation also includes inquiries against prominent builders linked to large housing projects. Among those reportedly under scrutiny are builder Haji Adam Jokhio, Dr. Talha of King Builders, Muhammad Ali Shaikh, Saith Roopchand and several officials from the Land Utilization and Revenue Departments.
Sources said that some of these individuals attempted to leave the country but were stopped at Karachi Airport under NAB’s travel restrictions. They have been directed to appear before NAB Karachi and provide original documents for verification, besides the FIA’s Anti-Money Laundering Circle also investigating the accusations of terror financing and alleged money-laundering of Saith Roop Chand, Jhaitha Nand and Ashoke Kumar of Mirpurkhas
Massive corruption uncovered
The investigation reportedly centers on allegations that government officers and private developers colluded to issue fake land titles, backdated entries, and manipulated revenue records to illegally transfer or lease valuable public land. NAB sources say billions of rupees in public property were converted into private housing plots in exchange for bribes and political favors.
The inquiry also includes examination of land record tampering in various districts and alleged violations of the Sindh Government Land Grant Policy. NAB investigators have reportedly retrieved digital and manual records of suspicious transactions spanning several years.
Official response and potential fallout
Senior NAB sources told The Friday Times that this is part of a larger effort to dismantle Sindh’s “land mafia nexus,” which has long been accused of looting public wealth and turning official land departments into centers of corruption.
“This is a deeply entrenched system that has operated for years, with huge losses to the provincial exchequer,” said an official associated with the investigation of NAB. “Our objective is to identify the facilitators and front men within the bureaucracy, builders, businessmen and political patrons who benefitted from these fraudulent land allotments.”
The operation follows months of internal preparation by NAB’s newly established Directorate for Land Investigations, which was created earlier this year to focus on large-scale land-related corruption cases in Country.
Political implications
The investigation has caused concern among sections of the Sindh bureaucracy and political elite, as NAB sources hint that more names could surface in the coming weeks. Officials who issued fake documents or approved illegal allotments are likely to face charges under Pakistan’s anti-corruption laws.
Analysts say the case could have significant political and financial implications if arrests are made and the nexus between political figures, bureaucrats, and builders is formally proven.
NAB officials insist the investigation aims not just to punish individuals but to “reform the system” — by creating legal precedents against the misuse of Sindh’s land administration machinery.
“This is not about one department or one case,” a senior NAB source said. “It’s about ending a decades-old structure that turned Sindh’s land into a personal business empire for the few.”
Background:
Sindh’s land administration has long been marred by allegations of irregular allotments, encroachments, and manipulation of land titles. Successive inquiries by NAB, the Anti-Corruption Establishment, and the Board of Revenue have identified thousands of acres of state land lost to political and bureaucratic corruption, often through fake entries in revenue records, unauthorized leases, or environmental violations.
The ongoing NAB Karachi investigation, insiders say, could become the most extensive accountability probe in Sindh’s recent history.