Pakistan court halts NAB auction of Bahria Town properties amid legal dispute

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued a stay order on Thursday, restraining Pakistan’s anti-corruption agency from proceeding with the scheduled auction of properties belonging to Bahria Town, one of the country’s largest real estate developers.

The court's decision came in response to a petition filed by Bahria Town challenging the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) move to auction several of its properties, which were slated for public sale on June 12 at the NAB Regional Office in Islamabad.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif issued the stay, saying that no coercive or adverse action should be taken against Bahria Town until further notice. The court also issued notices to NAB and other parties, seeking their responses, and adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period.

Bahria Town’s legal argument

In its petition, Bahria Town argued that it is a private limited company engaged in construction and real estate development and is neither a party, accused, nor a proclaimed offender in the £190 million NAB recovery case -- a high-profile corruption case involving funds repatriated from the UK.

Despite this, Bahria Town says, NAB seized and moved to auction multiple immovable properties it owns. The company maintains that this constitutes an unlawful action beyond the bureau’s jurisdiction, as it has not been named or charged in the proceedings linked to the case.

NAB's position and auction notice

The accountability watchdog had on June 4, 2025, issued a public auction notice under Section 33-E of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, announcing that Bahria Town’s properties would be auctioned on June 12 to recover defaulted amounts from a previously agreed-upon plea bargain.

According to the notice, the auctioned assets included: Bahria Town Corporate Offices, Plots No. 7-E and 7-D, Park Road, Phase 2, Rawalpindi Rubbesh Marquee and Lawn, Bahria Garden City, near the Golf Course, Islamabad, Arena Cinema, Plot No. 984, Board A, Phase 4, Bahria Town, Rawalpindi, Safari Club, Plot No. 27, and Safari Villas 1, Bahria Town, Rawalpindi

The notice stated that the auction aimed to recover unpaid dues resulting from a default in the payment of a plea-bargained amount, without naming Bahria Town as the primary defaulter.