Interpol has issued red notices for property tycoon Malik Riaz and his son Ali Riaz Malik at the request of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
NAB Chairman, Lieutenant General (retd) Nazir Ahmed Butt, confirmed the development, stating that the notices were issued on NAB’s request and that both individuals are likely to be arrested soon.
While speaking to senior journalists, the Chairman stated red warrants have been issued for Malik Riaz and Ali Riaz. He said these warrants relate to major corruption cases in the real estate sector, and that investigations into cases worth over Rs 900 billion against Malik Riaz have been completed.
He further stated that two references against Malik Riaz and Ali Riaz are pending in Rawalpindi, while one is pending in Karachi. He also questioned Transparency International, asking about the sources of its funding.
He claimed that only three of its employees are working in Pakistan, and that basing assessments on a sample of 800 or 900 respondents raises concerns about portraying the image of the entire country.
The NAB Chairman added that no other anti-corruption agency in the world has achieved recoveries equal to those of NAB. He said that all evidence in the Sindh Solar Scheme scandal has been obtained, and that the case will be taken to its logical conclusion, including the arrest of those involved, within the next quarter. He also stated that NAB has decided not to give weight to the IMF’s report on corruption.
Meanwhile, NAB Director General Operations Amjad Majeed Aulakh said investigations worth over Rs900 billion against Malik Riaz have been completed.
He added that NAB recovered Rs89 billion last year and is currently processing 37 high-profile money laundering cases. The courts have already decided four such cases. At present, NAB has 289 references, 205 investigations, and 745 inquiries pending.
Between January and March this year, NAB received 8,563 complaints, of which 8,214 have been resolved, while 475 are still under review.
Aulakh further stated that investigations are ongoing into several housing projects, including Bahria Town. Land has been recovered in Sindh from areas such as Malir, Korangi, Clifton, and Gul Ahmed Mills, while more than 900,000 acres have been recovered in Punjab. A provincial-level task force has also been formed to monitor the recovered land.
Malik Riaz, aged 72, is the founder and chairman of Bahria Town, while his 48-year-old son Ali Riaz Malik serves as the company’s Chief Executive Officer.
Malik Riaz and his company have faced various legal challenges in recent years. He has been declared a fugitive in the Al-Qadir Trust case, and NAB initiated proceedings to extradite him from the UAE in January 2025. He has also faced multiple allegations related to land acquisition.
In 2019, the Supreme Court ordered the Sindh government to pay outstanding dues related to land acquisition for Bahria Town Karachi.
Amid increasing legal challenges in August 2025, and ahead of a possible auction of Bahria Town properties, Malik Riaz appealed for negotiations and a “dignified solution.”
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