Minister warns he will name bureaucrats buying Portugal property

• Bureaucracy, lawmakers should be bound by same laws: Asif.
• Vows to prove his claims about bureaucrats with evidence.
• Defence czar claims half of bureaucracy buying property abroad.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday that the country's bureaucracy has not faced accountability in the past 78 years and warned of disclosing the names of those bureaucrats who bought properties in Portugal.

Speaking to Geo News, the defence minister reiterated his call for the accountability of bureaucrats. He questioned whether anyone had ever examined the number of plots owned by bureaucrats.

Asif's statement days came after he claimed that more than half of its members have bought properties in Portugal and are preparing to acquire citizenship there.

He had also alleged that one bureaucrat, known to be close to former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar, received Rs4 billion in salami alone at his daughter's wedding.

Asif said the bureaucracy should be bound by the same laws and regulations that apply to parliamentarians. He stated that he owns a two-room flat where he has lived for 25 years.

"I don't have a government vehicle and do not own a house in an upscale locality," he added.

The minister went on to say that he did not know that his statement regarding such people buying properties in Portugal would cause an uproar. He added that he intends to expose the names of such people as he is conducting an inquiry now.

Asif claimed that the person through whom these properties were purchased has also taken pictures of the buyers. He urged the media to investigate further following his revelations.

In an X post last week, Asif revealed that an individual named "Virk" was "playing a key role providing shelter to the bureaucracy and other elites in Portugal".

Reacting to the arrest of Sialkot's additional deputy commissioner revenue (ADCR), Asif clarified that he had no involvement in the case.

The ADCR was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) over alleged financial irregularities and later obtained a five-day remand.

He said the ACE was probing the matter and that appropriate action should be taken if the complaint is proven true or false. The defence czar rejected rumours of his resignation, again.

He said his recent consultations in Murree were related to the upcoming by-elections in Punjab, with the final decision to be made by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif.

He described Nawaz as his lifelong leader and expressed full support for Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, calling her the party's future leadership.