Kohistan Graft Accused Challenges Property Confiscation

The prime accused in the high-profile Kohistan corruption case has approached the Peshawar High Court to challenge the confiscation of multiple properties ordered by an accountability court. The case, centred on alleged embezzlement of more than Rs37 billion from public accounts in Upper Kohistan, remains one of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s most closely watched graft proceedings.

Qaiser Iqbal, a former head clerk in the Communication and Works Department, filed the petition after an accountability court ordered the forfeiture of several movable and immovable assets. The confiscated assets reportedly included property, cash and jewellery that investigators alleged were linked to proceeds of crime.

In his petition, Iqbal requested the high court to set aside the May 20 order of the accountability court. He argued that the proceedings in which his statement was recorded while he was brought from prison lacked lawful authority and should be declared illegal.

The petitioner’s legal team maintained that the order violated the principle of fair trial. They also sought interim protection, asking the court to stop the National Accountability Bureau and relevant government authorities from selling, transferring or creating any third-party rights over the disputed assets until the petition is finally decided.

According to the case record cited in the proceedings, Qaiser Iqbal and his wife, Gul Fareen, were arrested by NAB in October 2025. They remained in bureau custody before being sent to prison on judicial remand, while Fareen was later granted bail by the high court in February after furnishing surety bonds.

The controversy intensified after NAB moved the accountability court in May for an order based on an application reportedly submitted by Iqbal for surrendering assets. The accountability court then recorded his statement and issued the order declaring that the properties stood forfeited to the government.

NAB has alleged that Iqbal and other accused persons were involved in illegal withdrawals from the contractors’ security deposit head of account in Upper Kohistan. Investigators claim that funds were allegedly drawn from the national treasury through bogus project-related withdrawals in the names of contractors who had not carried out the claimed civil works.

The case carries wider significance because it involves a large alleged loss to public funds in a remote district where development resources are already limited. For Pakistan, proceedings of this scale are important not only for accountability but also for restoring confidence in public finance systems, anti-corruption enforcement and the handling of major development funds.

The next stage will depend on how the Peshawar High Court assesses the legality of the accountability court’s confiscation order and the petitioner’s claim of procedural irregularity. Until then, the fate of the disputed assets remains tied to the court’s decision, while NAB’s wider investigation into the Kohistan scandal continues.