The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday issued a stay order halting the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) planned auction of properties owned by Bahria Town. The auction was scheduled for June 12, 2025.
According to a news report by Dawn, the stay order was passed by a division bench, including Acting Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, following a petition filed by Bahria Town (Pvt) Ltd.
NAB had announced plans to auction six properties of Bahria Town in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, including five in Rawalpindi and one in Islamabad, to recover the defaulted amount of a plea bargain under Section 33E of the NAB Ordinance, 1999.
During the hearing, Bahria Town’s legal team argued that the real estate company is a private limited entity in the construction sector with no direct or indirect involvement in the £190 million NAB corruption case. The team emphasised that Bahria Town is neither an accused party nor an advertiser in the ongoing investigation.
Despite these claims, the petition noted that NAB had seized several properties owned by Bahria Town and planned to auction them, which the company argued was unlawful.
In response, the court restrained NAB from taking any further “illegal disciplinary action” against Bahria Town and halted the auction process.
The court stressed the importance of due process and transparency, especially in cases involving assets not directly connected to any accused individuals or charges.
The court directed NAB and other relevant parties to submit their responses and adjourned the hearing.
This latest development follows NAB’s warning against investing in Bahria Town’s Dubai project earlier this year, along with efforts to extradite Malik Riaz and his son.
