Pakistan: “Half of bureaucracy” trying to escape to Europe, claims Asif
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Pakistan’s controversial Foreign Minister Khawaza Asif, notorious for his unfounded claims, has shocked his own country by saying that “half of Pakistan’s bureaucracy” is preparing to leave for Portugal and settle down in Europe!
In a shocking ‘revelation,’ he publicly accused his own country’s top bureaucrats of massive corruption and international money laundering, claiming that billions of dollars in illicit wealth have been moved from Pakistan to Portugal, the media reported on Wednesday.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Asif alleged that over half of Pakistan’s bureaucratic elite have purchased property in Portugal, using what he called “black money,” with many seeking residency or citizenship in the European nation as part of a quiet exit strategy.
He said politicians are treated unfairly. “Politicians only get what is left over by them (bureaucrats) and still get blamed for everything,” he said, adding that most politicians do not own plots or foreign citizenship because they have to face the public and contest elections.
He alleged that one senior bureaucrat, reportedly close to former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar, received a staggering PKR 4 billion in ‘salami’ (ceremonial gifts) at his daughter’s wedding—a symbol, he said, of the unchecked and lavish lifestyles financed through corruption.
Asif labelled the actions of these officials as “shameful,” stating bluntly: “This bureaucracy is polluting our land.”
The senior PML-N leader’s serious allegations against the country’s bureaucracy triggered intense backlash online, much of it aimed at the minister himself.
“More than half of the (members) of the bureaucracy of our dear homeland have already bought properties in Portugal and are preparing to obtain citizenship there,” he stated on Wednesday, without presenting any proof.
In another post, he alleged that a man named “Virk sahab” has been playing the biggest role in providing shelters to the bureaucracy and elites in Portugal.
Commenting on Asif’s ‘revelations,’, the media quoted Indian intelligence officials as saying that this was a “classic case of elite asset laundering under diplomatic immunity.”
“This is a serious loophole that FATF mechanisms failed to audit rigorously. Portugal was deliberately picked as a low-risk FATF blind spot, bypassing stricter jurisdictions like the UK or UAE which are now under increased scrutiny. This confession is designed to shift global watchdog’s attention from military-political corruption to civil bureaucratic sectors,” the officials said, adding that it was an attempt to protect ISI and senior army officials from immediate sanctions.
“This is a systemic laundering via the Gulf-EU laundering corridors, possible due to FATF’s inadequate scrutiny of complex intercontinental real estate chains,” they said.
