Bureaucrats under suspicion for purchasing real estate in Portugal with allegedly illegal funds, according to Asif's claims.
Pakistan's Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, has raised concerns about the country's senior bureaucracy, accusing them of making money through corruption and planning a comfortable retirement, primarily by investing in Portugal and acquiring Portuguese citizenship.
In a statement posted on X, Asif claimed that more than half of the bureaucracy is purchasing properties in Portugal and preparing to obtain citizenship. He further reiterated these allegations, suggesting that the bureaucracy is harming the country and polluting it.
However, it is essential to note that there is no independent evidence that "more than half" of Pakistan's senior bureaucrats have bought property in Portugal or obtained Portuguese citizenship. The claim currently rests on Asif's public allegation and widespread media repetition, while available investigative data and official records do not corroborate the specific scale he cited.
The media reporting shows that Asif's statement has been repeated by Pakistani and regional outlets, put in context with earlier reporting about Pakistanis owning foreign property and recent domestic moves to require asset declarations for senior civil servants. However, there is a lack of independent verification for the Portugal figure. No investigative report, leaked dataset, Portuguese government statistics, or published registry analysis in the cited coverage confirms the specific magnitude or an authoritative list of bureaucrats owning Portuguese property or holding Portuguese citizenship.
Pakistani authorities have recently amended rules to require Grades 17–22 to declare domestic and foreign assets publicly through the tax authority, a step intended to increase transparency about foreign property and assets. This measure may produce more verifiable data in the future but does not itself confirm Asif's figure.
To substantiate the allegation, a verifiable dataset linking individual senior civil servants to Portuguese property purchases or naturalizations would be needed. Cross-checking those names against official lists of senior bureaucrats and validated timelines would also be necessary to show when purchases or citizenships occurred. Independent journalistic or official investigations that publish methods and evidence would further strengthen the claim.
One bureaucrat, known to be close to former chief minister Usman Buzdar, allegedly received Rs4 billion in Salami at his daughter's wedding, but this incident does not directly support Asif's broader claims about the bureaucracy's activities in Portugal.
As of the available reporting, Asif's statement is an allegation repeated by news outlets rather than an established fact supported by public, verifiable data. Credible confirmation would require the release or investigation of registries/data not yet cited in the coverage.
News outlets have been repeating Asif's concern about the senior Pakistani bureaucracy's involvement in politics, with allegations of corruption and foreign investments, specifically in Portugal. However, the claim that more than half of the bureaucracy has bought property in Portugal or obtained Portuguese citizenship remains unverified, lacking independent evidence and concrete data.
