Islamabad, July 8, 2025: The Public Relations and Media Services Department of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) has issued a clarification in response to media reports regarding the proceedings of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) held on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
ZTBL stated that certain segments of the electronic media misreported the bank’s position regarding missing or burnt agricultural loan files and outstanding recoveries.
Clarifying the matter, the bank explained that in the aftermath of the tragic assassination of former Prime Minister Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in 2007, protestors torched 27,537 loan case files. Since then, ZTBL has recovered and reconstructed the majority of the lost or burnt files and has successfully collected repayments from borrowers.
As per the latest update, only 5,201 burnt and 790 missing files remain, with a combined value of Rs. 1.167 billion. Recovery efforts from the concerned borrowers are ongoing.
It is important to note that all these loans were small-scale agricultural loans extended to farmers, with the average outstanding amount per borrower being less than Rs. 195,000.
ZTBL reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and recovery in line with regulatory standards.
