What happened
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said on 28 February 2026 that it had retrieved 350 acres of high-value government land in Karachi’s Clifton area, putting its market value at approximately Rs423.5 billion. The recovered property is in Clifton Block I and Block II, and NAB described the recovery as one of the largest of state land in recent history.
According to NAB, the recovery followed an inquiry and investigation into the illegal allotment of 350 acres of land reclaimed from the seabed. The bureau said it had investigated senior officers of the Sindh Land Utilisation Department, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the Karachi Development Authority (KDA). The findings, it said, revealed that officials had violated the rules and law and allotted the land to private parties for a “meagre amount”, causing loss to the national exchequer.
NAB said the allotments were cancelled during formal proceedings and that the reclaimed land was officially restored to the government of Sindh, with the Land Utilisation Department formally acknowledging the handover. A NAB spokesman said the operation was a “highly coordinated effort” between NAB Karachi and the Board of Revenue, Sindh.
Why it matters
The case touches on a long-running complaint in Karachi: that prime coastal state land has been allotted to private developers at prices far below market value. Clifton’s seafront is among the most expensive real estate in Pakistan, and the reclaimed seabed parcels at issue sit in an area where commercial and residential development has been aggressive.
NAB framed the intervention as preventive. “By intervening before the land could be sold off or further encumbered, the bureau blocked a massive fraudulent transaction and protected the national exchequer from a historic financial loss,” the spokesman said. The bureau said it remained committed to its policy of “Accountability for All” and would continue to pursue those involved in the systemic misuse of public resources.
What is still uncertain
NAB did not announce any arrests on 28 February, and it was not immediately clear whether criminal references had been filed against the named officials or whether any of the cancelled allotments would be contested. The identities of the allottees and the exact amount originally paid for the land were not disclosed, and no independent valuation of the 350 acres was available.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a synthesis of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 28 February 2026.
- Dawn — "NAB retrieves 'illegally allotted' 350 acres of Karachi's prime Clifton land"Published 28 February 2026 · NAB's claim that it recovered 350 acres in Clifton Block I and Block II worth about Rs423.5 billion, the inquiry into the Sindh Land Utilisation Department, KMC and KDA, the cancellation of allotments, and the agency's quoted statement.
