Khawaja Asif says bureaucrats acquiring property, citizenship in Portugal

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has claimed that over half of Pakistan’s top bureaucrats have purchased property in Portugal and are now pursuing Portuguese citizenship.

In a statement posted on X, Asif alleged that several well-known bureaucrats are quietly preparing for retirement abroad after accumulating massive wealth during their service.

He strongly criticized the civil bureaucracy, claiming, “These crocodiles have eaten billions of rupees and are now living a comfortable retired life. One of Buzdar's closest bureaucrats received four billion rupees just in wedding gifts for his daughters and is now living a comfortable retirement.”

Asif further remarked that politicians are often vilified, yet unlike bureaucrats, they neither possess foreign citizenship nor own overseas properties, because they have to face the public in elections.

Read more: Khawaja Asif says Pakistan will prioritize national interest if pressured to join Abraham Accords

“Politicians only get the leftovers and make empty promises; they don't have plots or foreign citizenship because they have to contest elections. This bureaucracy is ruining Pakistan,” he added.

وطن عزیز کی آدھی سے زیادہ بیوروکریسی پرتگال میں پراپرٹی لے چکی ھے اور شہریت لینی کی تیاری کر رہی ھے۔ اوریہ نامی گرامی بیوروکریٹس ھیں ۔ مگر مچھ اربوں روپے کھا کے آرام سے ریٹائرمنٹ کی زندگی گزار رہیں۔ بزدار کا ایک قریب ترین بیوروکریٹ چار ارب بیٹیوں کی شادی پر صرف سلامی وصول کر چکا…

— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) August 5, 2025

Pakistan’s civil servants have long been under public scrutiny for the lavish perks and privileges they enjoy, benefits many believe place an unnecessary burden on the national treasury.

Critics argue that the bureaucracy, funded by taxpayers' money, was created to serve the public, not to become an elite class living in comfort at the nation’s expense.

There is also growing concern that many aspiring civil service candidates today are more motivated by the perks of power than by any true passion for public service.