Khawaja Asif drops bombshell: Pakistani bureaucrats buying property in Portugal to flee crisis

Khawaja Asif has also made startling allegations against former minister of Pakistan's Punjab Province

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has stirred controversy with explosive allegations, accusing the country’s top bureaucrats of large-scale corruption and money laundering. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Asif claimed that billions of dollars in illicit funds have been siphoned off to Portugal by senior officials, many of whom are allegedly acquiring property and pursuing citizenship in the European country as part of a discreet escape plan.

Asif alleged that more than half of Pakistan’s bureaucratic elite have purchased real estate in Portugal using “black money.” He criticised the prevailing system, saying politicians are often unfairly blamed while bureaucrats walk away with the lion’s share of the wealth. “Politicians only get what is left over by them and still get blamed for everything,” he wrote, adding that most elected representatives do not hold foreign assets because they must remain accountable to the public.

In one particularly startling claim, Asif said a senior bureaucrat with close ties to former Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar received Rs 4 billion in ceremonial gifts—referred to as ‘salami’—at his daughter’s wedding. He pointed to the incident as an example of the opulence and impunity with which the bureaucracy operates.

Calling the officials’ conduct “shameful,” Asif declared, “This bureaucracy is polluting our land.”

These claims surface just ahead of a crucial visit by a joint team from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Asia Pacific Group (APG), expected to arrive in Pakistan this August. The delegation is scheduled to conduct an evaluation following repeated complaints about Pakistan’s alleged involvement in terror financing and the reemergence of grey money channels.

A senior FATF official told CNN-News18 that the body is particularly concerned about Pakistan becoming a major hub for hawala and hundi transactions, with Afghan and Iranian smugglers allegedly leveraging the country’s grey market to route US dollars illicitly.