A former additional director of Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been arrested in Islamabad in a case alleging the use of fake degrees and corruption, according to reports by Capital News Point and Minute Mirror published on 27 and 28 October 2026.

Both outlets report that the arrest followed the dismissal of his bail application. Minute Mirror reported that his pre-arrest bail was rejected by a special anti-corruption court in Islamabad and that he was taken into custody in the courtroom.

Remand granted

Capital News Point reported that the investigating officer sought 14 days of physical remand to question the accused about the alleged fake degrees, business activities and misuse of authority. The court granted three days.

The degree allegations

According to Minute Mirror, the case was registered by the Federal Investigation Agency's Anti-Corruption Circle in Islamabad on 23 September 2026 on a complaint routed through NAB headquarters. The report says the accused allegedly submitted two MBA (Marketing) degrees bearing the same registration number for entry into government service, one purportedly from Preston University in the United States and the other from Preston University, Karachi.

Minute Mirror reported that, according to the FIR, a senior university official told the FIA that the US degree is not recognised by Pakistan's Higher Education Commission (HEC) and that the Karachi degree was not based on actual records. The FIR also reportedly includes allegations about undisclosed business interests and assets. These remain allegations; the accused has not been convicted, and his response was not included in the reports.

Verifying degrees in public service

The case adds to a series of fake-degree inquiries involving Pakistani public employees this month. In Pakistan, degrees used for public appointments can be checked through the HEC's degree attestation and verification system, and foreign qualifications through its equivalence process. Appointing bodies can also seek written confirmation directly from the issuing university, which is especially important where two documents show the same registration details.

Sources

This News Desk report summarises information published by the sources above, written in our own words. Persons named in criminal matters are accused, not convicted, unless a court has ruled otherwise. To report an error, use our contact page.

PakistanNABFIAFake degreesPublic officials

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