The federal government has accused real estate tycoon Malik Riaz and his firm Bahria Town of running a massive money laundering operation, following a recent raid by the Federal Investigation Agency that recovered what officials called key evidence.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the FIA had seized documents showing that Malik Riaz and Bahria Town were involved in laundering Rs1.12 billion. “The documents that have surfaced reveal money laundering and corruption of a great amount by Malik Riaz and Bahria Town, with the documents recovered so far showing evidence of Rs1.12 billion in money laundering,” he said.
According to Tarar, the illegal activity was being operated out of Safari Hospital in Rawalpindi, which he described as a front used to store cash and records. He alleged that hospital ambulances were used to discreetly transport both money and documents to avoid suspicion.
He said the FIA’s raid also exposed the role of two individuals, Imran and Kaiser, who were allegedly running a hawala and hundi network tied to Bahria Town. “When the raid took place yesterday, two people — Imran and Kaiser — who ran the hawala and hundi operations, were linked to the Bahria Town chief financial officer and the evidence has been seized by the FIA,” he stated.
Tarar claimed that the operation was being coordinated by senior Bahria Town officials and that the funds were being moved abroad using illegal channels. “There will be more amounts besides the Rs1.12 billion that will come forth,” he said, adding that the investigation was still in its early stages.
He further alleged that some Bahria Town staff attempted to destroy evidence during the raid. “Some documents were burnt, but we seized the majority of the records. If there was nothing illegal in that hospital, why burn records?” he asked.
The information minister said residents of Bahria Town would not be affected by the investigation, which targets only Malik Riaz, his family, and close associates. “We are only investigating Malik Riaz, his officials and family members involved in this racket,” he said.
In a separate development, Bahria Town confirmed through its official account on X that it had filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the auction of its properties. The move comes after a series of legal challenges between the company and the National Accountability Bureau.
Meanwhile, Malik Riaz broke his silence on Tuesday, issuing a call for negotiations. “I would like to make a final appeal from the bottom of my heart that we be given a chance to return to serious dialogue, and a dignified solution,” he said in a post on X. “We will participate in any arbitration and implement its decision 100 per cent. If the arbitration decision requires payment of money from our side, we will ensure its payment, God willing.”
Neither Malik Riaz nor Bahria Town officials have publicly responded to the government’s latest allegations.
