Railway land auctions could generate over Rs10 trillion to finance ML-I project without foreign borrowing, claims NAB chief

Profit by Pakistan Today reported that NAB Chairman Lt Gen (retired) Nazir Ahmed Butt told an Islamabad briefing that selling reclaimed Pakistan Railways land might bring in over Rs10 trillion. Butt argued those proceeds could pay for the Main Line-1 (ML-I) project without overseas loans. He said the bureau had already taken back railway property and holdings valued above Rs6 trillion, within about two and a half months.

Butt put cash and asset recoveries at Rs9,171.92 billion for January to September 2026, and overall recoveries covering March 2023 through December 2025 reached Rs26 trillion. He suggested the railway land could become a major financing channel for national infrastructure if monitoring and asset management arrangements are established. Separately, he said NAB was examining power sector finances and expected recoveries there to be far larger than those from the railways.

Butt called some power sector practices 'daylight robbery' and said the ongoing scrutiny should surface several matters in the first half of 2027. He added that the bureau would later extend probes to bodies under the Ministry of Industries and Production. He also claimed outflows of laundered money from Pakistan had stopped, though no figures were offered, and urged a comprehensive overhaul of the Capital Development Authority.