Asif Mahmood
When Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stormed into power in 2018, it did so with a moral sword in hand — vowing to uproot corruption, bring back looted wealth, and dismantle the system of elite impunity. But the £190 million settlement scandal has not merely exposed cracks in that façade — it has shattered it completely.
At the centre of this disturbing episode is Mirza Shahzad Akbar, PTI’s so-called accountability czar and head of the Asset Recovery Unit (ARU). Instead of recovering stolen assets for the nation, Akbar stands accused of brokering a secretive deal with the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) — a deal that astonishingly redirected £190 million, suspected to be of illicit origin, into the hands of Bahria Town, a private real estate empire long under scrutiny in Pakistan.
The secrecy surrounding the affair is staggering. On 6 November 2019, as per accusations, Akbar quietly signed a confidentiality agreement with the NCA — bypassing all financial watchdogs in Pakistan, including the State Bank, FIA, and FBR. By the time the matter reached the federal cabinet on 3 December, the deal was a fait accompli. There was no debate, no scrutiny, no transparency.
The money in question, originally seized in relation to shady property dealings by Ali Riaz........

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