NAB, BoR reclaim state land worth Rs433b from encroachers in Punjab

LAHORE, Jun 05 (APP): The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), in collaboration with the Punjab Board of Revenue (BoR), has reclaimed 25,444 kanals of state land worth approximately Rs433 billion from illegal occupants and land mafia networks during one of the largest anti-encroachment drives in Punjab’s history.

Addressing a press briefing regarding the Punjab State Assets Task Force, Lahore NAB Director General Mirza Faran Baig said the operation was launched in September 2025 under the leadership of Chairman NAB Lt Gen (retd) Nazir Ahmad Butt, DG NAB Faran Baig and Punjab Senior Member Board of Revenue (SMBR) Nabeel Javed.

He said the recovery campaign was carried out through joint efforts involving scrutiny of revenue records, demarcation, field enforcement and coordination between NAB and the BoR across several districts of Punjab.

Faran Baig said the successful recovery of state land represented a major milestone in safeguarding public assets and strengthening the state’s writ over government properties.

He added that in recognition of the achievement, the prime minister awarded commendation certificates and shields to the DG NAB Lahore and the SMBR Punjab.

The DG said the Punjab government had established the Punjab State Assets Task Force to ensure the recovery, protection and transparent utilisation of state land. The task force is working in coordination with the BoR to eliminate illegal encroachments and ensure lawful disposal of reclaimed land.

He said Lahore NAB Director Muhammad Wasif Bhatti was serving as NAB’s representative and focal person in the task force to facilitate coordination among relevant institutions.

The NAB and BoR also appealed to the public to report illegal occupation of government land through official complaint mechanisms to enable prompt action by the authorities.

Highlighting reforms introduced by the BoR under the guidance of SMBR Nabeel Javed, Faran Baig said the department had ensured 100 per cent collection of agricultural income tax amounting to Rs9.97 billion and generated Rs5.9 billion through lease and sale of government land and properties between July 2025 and April 2026.

He said more than 23.5 million registered documents dating from 1947 to 2024 and over 300 million pages had been digitised under the Punjab Urban Land Systems Enhancement (PLUS) Project, while more than 2.5 million mutations had been processed through digital systems.

The DG said GIS-based Green Property Certificates, digital valuation tables and an e-stamp platform had been introduced to improve transparency and reduce discretionary powers in land administration.

He added that a fully digital Property Transfer System had been implemented in more than 500 housing societies to ensure transparent audit trails, while mass partitioning had resulted in the creation of over 671,000 new land units to help resolve ownership and inheritance disputes.

Speaking about institutional reforms in NAB, Mirza Faran said the bureau had strengthened engagement with chambers of commerce and industry to facilitate business activity and policy development.

He said NAB had achieved record recoveries amounting to Rs15.6 trillion during 2023-2026 and facilitated the return of nearly Rs180 billion to victims in cases involving more than 115,000 affected individuals during 2025 alone.

According to the DG, NAB recovered Rs263.096 billion and distributed funds among 61,700 claimants, while it was currently pursuing several large-scale public fraud cases involving more than 81,000 victims and estimated losses of Rs124 billion.

He said accountability facilitation, business facilitation and parliamentarians’ facilitation cells had been established to improve public service delivery and minimise the possibility of harassment.

The DG further said NAB had introduced digital case management systems, e-case processing and artificial intelligence-based investigative tools to enhance efficiency, transparency and technology-driven accountability.

He added that measures were also being taken to prevent the misuse of crypto assets for corruption and money laundering.