QUETTA: The Balochistan government has halted the allotment of thousands of acres of valuable coastal land in Hub district after an allegedly illegal scheme to award it to influential individuals came to light, with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) now launching a formal inquiry into the matter.

The land in question is located on the Miani Hore coast in the Sonmiani tehsil.

According to sources, the provincial government and NAB took immediate notice and stopped the allotment process “soon after receiving information” that the land was being registered in the names of non-residents with the connivance of officials and other powerful figures.

The move to distribute the state-owned land began after the Miani Hore coastal area was officially declared a “mouza”, sources said.

Following this declaration, the additional deputy commissioner of Hub directed the tehsildars of Sonmiani and Gaddani in a letter to participate in a “final settlement/verification” process.

The NAB in Balochistan has initiated a probe into the matter. Sources said that prominent people are allegedly behind the scheme.

According to documents available with Dawn, NAB has formally notified concerned authorities of its inquiry.

In a notification, the bureau requested all relevant records, including a certified copy of an inquiry report on the settlement of the mouza.

It also sought the posting and transfer orders of all settlement officers, tehsildars, qanungos and patwaris involved in the settlement process in Hub and Sonmiani from the beginning of 2024 to the present.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2025