In a sweeping six-month investigation led by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) in collaboration with Norwegian outlet E24, journalists from 74 partner organizations across 58 countries have uncovered a vast network of convicted criminals, fugitives, politically exposed persons, and their associates, as well as sanctioned individuals who have acquired real estate in Dubai.
According to leaked data from 2022, Indian nationals top the list in terms of foreign ownership of residential properties in Dubai, with 29,700 owners holding 35,000 properties, valued at approximately $17 billion at the time. Following closely are Pakistani nationals, with 17,000 individuals owning 23,000 residential properties.
The report indicates that the collective value of residential properties owned by Pakistanis in Dubai may have surged to over $12.5 billion due to a remarkable 25% increase in property prices over the past two years.
Prominent figures identified in the investigation include the offspring of President Asif Ali Zardari—Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari, and Aseefa Bhutto Zardari—alongside other notable names such as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s wife, Ms. Ashraf, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, MNA Ikhtiar Baig, Hussain Nawaz (son of Nawaz Sharif), retired General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s son Saad Siddique Bajwa, Senator Faisal Vawda, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, Akhtar Mengal, and PML-N MNA Ehsanul Haq Bajwa.
Former military dictator Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf and his wife are reported to own three properties in Dubai Marina, Burj Khalifa, and Al Thanyah Fifth. Additionally, figures like Musharraf’s former military secretary, Lt-Gen Shafaat Ullah Shah, and his son, as well as Maj Gen (r) Ehtasham Zameer and his family, former NLC scandal-involved Lt-Gen Afzal Muzaffar’s son, former DG Counter Intelligence Major Gen Ehtasham Zamir and his children, and IGP Azad Jammu and Kashmir Dr. Sohail Habib Tajik are among those identified as property owners in Dubai.
The list further includes former president of the NBP Arif Usmani, Lt-Gen (r) Muhammad Akram, Lt-Gen Alam Jan Mehsud and spouse, Maj Gen (r) Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Major Gen (r) Raja Muhammad Arif Nazir, Air Vice Marshal (r) Saleem Tariq, Air Vice Marshal (r) Khalid Masood Rajput, Major Gen (r) Muhammad Farooq, spouse of Major Gen (r) Anis Bajwa, Maj Gen (r) Najam-ul-Hassan Shah, former chairman of OGDCL Zahid Muzaffar, and chairman PCST Syed Anwar-ul Hassan Gillani.
