ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau, Nazir Ahmed, on Wednesday announced that comprehensive real estate reforms would be introduced within two months to overhaul regulatory practices in the sector.

Speaking during an informal media briefing, he said the proposed reforms would be presented before the federal cabinet for approval and would include the abolition of the existing file system.

The NAB chief said that under the new framework, full responsibility would be placed on real estate developers, signalling a major shift in accountability within the sector.

He added that cases against members of parliament were still ongoing, though the bureau had discontinued issuing press releases on such matters. Several cases, he noted, had been referred to the Federal Investigation Agency and provincial anti-corruption departments.

Emphasising due process, he said suspects deserved the same respect as investigators, adding that the current NAB did not agree with some of the practices adopted by the institution in the past.

Lt Gen (retd) Ahmed also criticised a governance report by the International Monetary Fund as “baseless,” asserting that the institution does not grant a “clean chit” to any country.

He further questioned the credibility of Transparency International, raising concerns about its funding sources and survey methodology.

Highlighting NAB’s recent performance, the chairman claimed the bureau had made unprecedented recoveries over the past three months, adding that all recovered funds were deposited into the federal consolidated fund, with none retained by the bureau.