Islamabad, October 19, 2026: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has reported the recovery of state assets worth Rs9.18 trillion during the third quarter of 2026, taking the cumulative value of recovered state lands and other assets to Rs14.6 trillion during the year so far.
According to a NAB press release issued on Monday, the third-quarter recovery increased by 169 per cent compared with the combined recovery of Rs5.41 trillion during the first two quarters of 2026.
The bureau said its sustained efforts had also resulted in the recovery of assets worth Rs26.1 trillion between March 2023 and September 2026.
Recovery of Pakistan Railways land
NAB said six joint task forces had been established at regional bureaus in collaboration with Pakistan Railways following the reported results of State Assets Task Forces in Punjab and Sindh.
These initiatives led to the recovery of 235,622 kanals, equivalent to 29,453 acres, of Pakistan Railways land valued at Rs6.78 trillion, according to the bureau.
In addition, 866,299 acres of land belonging to provincial departments, including Forest, Revenue and Highways, were recovered, with an estimated value of Rs2.395 trillion.
Giving a regional breakdown, NAB said its Sukkur bureau recovered 51.41 acres of provincial Revenue Department land worth Rs1.14 billion, along with 179,072 kanals of Pakistan Railways land valued at Rs5.06 trillion in prime urban areas of Karachi Division.
The Balochistan bureau recovered 811,967 acres of Forest Department land worth Rs1.71 trillion, while the Multan bureau recovered 43,028 acres of land belonging to provincial Revenue, Forest and Highway departments, valued at Rs102.97 billion.
NAB Multan also recovered 49,426 kanals of Pakistan Railways land worth Rs1.56 trillion.
The Lahore bureau reported the recovery of 4,380 acres of provincial state land valued at Rs563.07 billion, along with 7,124 kanals of Pakistan Railways land worth Rs156.10 billion.
Meanwhile, NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recovered 6,872 acres of Forest and Revenue departments’ land valued at Rs16.16 billion.
NAB Islamabad/Rawalpindi and NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also recovered Rs2.22 billion through plea bargains in cases relating to Bahria Town and the Kohistan scam.
Relief for affectees and institutional reforms
The bureau said it had disbursed Rs908.42 million to 4,280 affectees during the third quarter through deposits into their bank accounts.
To strengthen anti-corruption enforcement and institutional capacity, NAB also signed two memoranda of understanding with other state institutions. Further agreements, including MoUs with foreign counterparts, were in the pipeline, it added.
The bureau said it had entered a transformation phase with the adoption of an artificial intelligence-based investigation system, named “NAB EYE”, aimed at reducing human discretion and errors while expediting investigative processes.
During the quarter, the Pakistan Anti-Corruption Academy conducted three specialized courses, one capacity-building course, one workshop, one learning programme and one promotional course.
Commitment to accountability
NAB said it would continue pursuing a comprehensive anti-corruption strategy encompassing enforcement, prevention, deterrence, recovery of misappropriated state assets and public awareness.
The bureau reiterated its commitment to protecting public resources, strengthening accountability and promoting transparency, with the stated objective of contributing to a more accountable and corruption-free governance framework in Pakistan.
