Bahria Town vs NAB: Legal Battle

Bahria Town NAB Action. The Islamabad High Court (IHC) recently rejected a request from Bahria Town about the planned auction of its properties by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Bahria Town NAB Action. Senior lawyer Farooq H. Naek argued that the IHC gave a brief decision without explaining its detailed reasons.

He believes this decision harmed Bahria Town’s property rights and went against legal and constitutional rules.

Bahria Town NAB Action. Naek claimed that the court’s order was made without proper thought.

He said the IHC ignored important documents that were included with Bahria Town’s request and did not consider the relevant laws for the case. The IHC’s brief order simply said:

“The hold-on order issued on 15.04.2025 in case No. 1368 of 2025 and the order dated 04.06.2025 in case No. 2248 of 2025 are now cancelled.”

NAB Accused of Acting With Mala Fide Intent

Naek also accused NAB of illegally and unlawfully trying to auction properties that are legally owned by Bahria Town. He pointed to a letter (Ref. No. ZM/PBD/NAB(R) 2024/RDMC dated 06.03.2025) which he claimed was issued with bad intentions.

Bahria Town NAB Action. He argued that NAB took actions on March 8, 2025, such as putting up notices on the properties without having the legal right to do so.

These actions, he said, gave a false impression of who owned the properties and went against Bahria Town’s legal rights.

Key Legal Questions Raised by Bahria Town’s Counsel

Bahria Town NAB Action. Bahria Town’s legal team brought up several important questions about constitutional and procedural issues. These included:

• Can NAB decide or assign a financial responsibility from a plea bargain without the accused person being involved?
• Can NAB impose financial or legal responsibility without a complete investigation report?
• Does a change to Section 25(b) of the NAB Ordinance, 1999, mean that a plea bargain becomes invalid if the terms are not met?

These questions get to the heart of what is considered a fair legal process and how the National Accountability Ordinance should be understood.

Properties Targeted for Auction

Bahria Town NAB Action. According to NAB, the following well-known Bahria Town properties are scheduled to be auctioned:

• Corporate Office II – Plot No. 7-D, Park Road, Phase II, Rawalpindi
• Corporate Office I – Plot No. 7-E, Park Road, Phase II, Rawalpindi
• Rubbish Market & Lawn – Near Bahria Garden City Golf Course, Islamabad
• Arena Cinema – Plot No. 984-Broad-A, Phase IV, Rawalpindi
• Bahria Town International Academy – Jasmine Street & Silver Oaks Road, Rawalpindi
• Safari Club – Plot No. 27, Safari Villas, Bahria Town, Rawalpindi

These properties are reportedly connected to the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust plea bargain case.

NAB’s Justification and Legal Grounds for Auction

NAB says that Malik Riaz and his son had agreed to a plea bargain but did not pay the agreed-upon amount.

Bahria Town NAB Action. As a result, NAB used a law called Section 33E of the NAB Ordinance, 1999, to start the process of getting the money back by auctioning the properties.

The NAB lawyer said that a trial court had already rejected a similar plea from Bahria Town. He also mentioned that the IHC’s previous order to temporarily stop the auction on June 12, 2025, had now been removed.

NAB later requested to cancel the temporary halt on the auction.

They stated that the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench had told Bahria Town to first go to the auction committee. Any attempt to use the IHC’s temporary halt order before that bench was also rejected.

Bahria Town Warns of Investor Backlash : Bahria Town NAB Action

Bahria Town’s lawyer warned that this action by NAB goes against a fair legal process. He said it sets a dangerous example and could make investors lose trust in Pakistan’s legal and business environment.

The court acknowledged this concern, saying there is a need for clear laws and transparency, especially when the auction involves properties not directly owned by the accused person.

Auction Date Announced for August 7, 2025 : Bahria Town NAB Action

In a late-night post on its official X account (formerly Twitter), the state broadcaster PTV confirmed that NAB had officially set the date for the auction of Malik Riaz’s properties.

The auction is scheduled for August 7, 2025, and will take place at the NAB Rawalpindi Office in Sector G-6/1, Islamabad.