The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Pakistan’s National Assembly has expressed serious concern over recent remarks made by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif regarding bureaucrats reportedly making real estate investments in Portugal. The controversy began earlier this month when the Defence Minister publicly criticised the country’s bureaucracy for allegedly making fortunes and preparing to settle abroad.

 

Chaired by Junaid Akbar, the PAC chairman, the accounts committee resolved to summon officials from key government institutions, including the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the Ministry of Interior, and other relevant authorities, in its next session, to aid in the inquiry. Reports indicate that a briefing on the issue of bureaucrats purchasing property in Portugal will be provided in the next session. 

 

As per the details, authorities aim to identify which bureaucrats may have acquired assets in foreign countries. Reports suggest that the PAC’s chairman intends to conduct a thorough review, as he outlined his intent to “obtain complete records to determine which bureaucrats have acquired plots,”.

 

The PAC will look into allegations made by the defence minister, who, on August 5, took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), claiming that more than half of Pakistan’s bureaucrats are purchasing property in Portugal, using funds that they had gathered via corruption.

 

The Defence Minister highlighted the case of a bureaucrat closely linked to former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar. According to reports, he alleged that the official received a staggering Rs4 billion in cash gifts at his daughter’s wedding. For perspective, this amount, when converted into dollars, exceeds $14 million. 

 

The Minister also suggested that such officials are accumulating wealth through questionable means and using it to secure a comfortable future outside Pakistan. He compared the conduct of bureaucrats to that of elected politicians, highlighting that while politicians remain directly accountable to voters and face regular elections, bureaucrats enjoy privileges that allow them to prepare for life abroad without public scrutiny. 

 

He claimed that politicians, unlike many bureaucrats, typically do not hold foreign property or citizenship, outlining how bureaucrats are not held accountable for their misgivings.

 

Condemning the reported behaviour of the bureaucracy, the defence minister stated that the bureaucracy “was polluting our land,” underlining his strong distaste for bureaucrats prioritising personal gain at the expense of public service.

 

It merits a mention that the PAC also reviewed audit objections against the Ministry of Religious Affairs related to embezzlement cases amounting to tens of millions of rupees. Reports reveal details of a case in which an assistant accountant embezzled Rs12 million in remittances.