ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Monday auctioned 405 kanals of the land belonging to Ali Riaz Malik, son of property tycoon Malik Riaz and one of the absconders in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are already facing imprisonment in connection with the same case.

The auction took place at the Patwar office in Bhara Kahu, overseen by an auction committee in the presence of Assistant Commissioner Secretariat Uzair Ali. The agricultural land, measuring 405 kanals and three marlas, located in Mohra Noor, was auctioned for Rs3.42 million per kanal.

In contrast, investors showed no interest in land owned by another absconder in the case, Farhat Shehzadi alias Farah Gogi. Her property, also located in the revenue estate of Mohra Noor in the Bani Gala area, remained unsold.

Earlier in the day, rumors circulated regarding the possible auction of Imran Khan’s Banigala residence. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja tweeted at 11:50am about the alleged auction, expressing concern that if the news was true, it would have been a secretive process. He promised to verify and share accurate information.

Two hours later, at 2:15pm, Mr Raja tweeted an update, stating that according to information gathered by PTI’s legal team regarding NAB reference 19/2023 — the state vs. Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case — the auction was related to the properties of other accused who have been declared absconders. “Our legal team is keeping an eye on this issue,” he added.

Despite repeated efforts, Dawn was unable to confirm the identity of the successful bidder for Ali Riaz Malik’s land at the time of filing this report. At least two government officials contacted said they were unaware of the buyer’s name. “I have no idea who the successful bidder is, as the transfer deed is yet to be completed,” one official stated.

Recently, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) also conducted a public auction of six commercial properties linked to Malik Riaz and Bahria Town, as part of efforts to recover unpaid amounts related to the Al-Qadir Trust case.

These properties included five in Rawalpindi and one in Islamabad. Of the six, three were successfully auctioned: Rubaish Marquee sold for Rs508m, while Corporate Office-I and Corporate Office-II received conditional bids of Rs876m and Rs881.5m, respectively.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2025