Asif Mahmood
When Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stormed into power in 2018, it did so with a moral sword in hand — vowing to uproot corruption, bring back looted wealth, and dismantle the system of elite impunity. But the £190 million settlement scandal has not merely exposed cracks in that façade — it has shattered it completely.
At the centre of this disturbing episode is Mirza Shahzad Akbar, PTI’s so-called accountability czar and head of the Asset Recovery Unit (ARU). Instead of recovering stolen assets for the nation, Akbar stands accused of brokering a secretive deal with the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) — a deal that astonishingly redirected £190 million, suspected to be of illicit origin, into the hands of Bahria Town, a private real estate empire long under scrutiny in Pakistan.
The secrecy surrounding the affair is staggering. On 6 November 2019, as per accusations, Akbar quietly signed a confidentiality agreement with the NCA — bypassing all financial watchdogs in Pakistan, including the State Bank, FIA, and FBR. By the time the matter reached the federal cabinet on 3 December, the deal was a fait accompli. There was no debate, no scrutiny, no transparency.
The money in question, originally seized in relation to shady property dealings by Ali Riaz Malik and family, never touched Pakistan’s public treasury. Instead, it was sent directly to an account linked to Bahria Town, camouflaged as if it were a State Bank transaction. The deception was not only institutional — it was deliberate.
Even more damning are reports that this wasn’t some rogue initiative. On 2 March 2019, a closed-door meeting allegedly took place between Akbar, then-Prime Minister Imran Khan, and principal secretary Azam Khan — months before the agreement with the NCA. If true, the scandal doesn’t merely suggest mismanagement. It signals premeditation at the highest levels of PTI’s leadership.
For a party that railed against “NROs,” condemned backroom deals, and promised to restore the sanctity of public institutions, this is hypocrisy laid bare. PTI did exactly what it vowed to dismantle: make secret arrangements, bypass institutions, and provide legal shields to the very elite it once demonised.
PTI’s promises of transparency and justice now ring hollow. The slogans were loud, the pledges lofty — but in the end, they were just that: slogans. In Pakistan, the deeper truth remains unchanged — it is not slogans but structures that shape power. And unless those are overhauled, every “new Pakistan” will end up looking much like the old one.
PTI’s Transparency Myth
Published: July 13, 2025 | Updated 19 hours ago
PTI’s Transparency Myth
Published: July 13, 2025 | Updated 19 hours ago
Asif Mahmood
When Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stormed into power in 2018, it did so with a moral sword in hand — vowing to uproot corruption, bring back looted wealth, and dismantle the system of elite impunity. But the £190 million settlement scandal has not merely exposed cracks in that façade — it has shattered it completely.
At the centre of this disturbing episode is Mirza Shahzad Akbar, PTI’s so-called accountability czar and head of the Asset Recovery Unit (ARU). Instead of recovering stolen assets for the nation, Akbar stands accused of brokering a secretive deal with the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) — a deal that astonishingly redirected £190 million, suspected to be of illicit origin, into the hands of Bahria Town, a private real estate empire long under scrutiny in Pakistan.
The secrecy surrounding the affair is staggering. On 6 November 2019, as per accusations, Akbar quietly signed a confidentiality agreement with the NCA — bypassing all financial watchdogs in Pakistan, including the State Bank, FIA, and FBR. By the time the matter reached the federal cabinet on 3 December, the deal was a fait accompli. There was no debate, no scrutiny, no transparency.
The money in question, originally seized in relation to shady property dealings by Ali Riaz Malik and family, never touched Pakistan’s public treasury. Instead, it was sent directly to an account linked to Bahria Town, camouflaged as if it were a State Bank transaction. The deception was not only institutional — it was deliberate.
Even more damning are reports that this wasn’t some rogue initiative. On 2 March 2019, a closed-door meeting allegedly took place between Akbar, then-Prime Minister Imran Khan, and principal secretary Azam Khan — months before the agreement with the NCA. If true, the scandal doesn’t merely suggest mismanagement. It signals premeditation at the highest levels of PTI’s leadership.
For a party that railed against “NROs,” condemned backroom deals, and promised to restore the sanctity of public institutions, this is hypocrisy laid bare. PTI did exactly what it vowed to dismantle: make secret arrangements, bypass institutions, and provide legal shields to the very elite it once demonised.
PTI’s promises of transparency and justice now ring hollow. The slogans were loud, the pledges lofty — but in the end, they were just that: slogans. In Pakistan, the deeper truth remains unchanged — it is not slogans but structures that shape power. And unless those are overhauled, every “new Pakistan” will end up looking much like the old one.