The 2018 NAB List: 71 Politicians and Bureaucrats With Power Sector Links
Five former prime ministers, multiple chief ministers, and almost zero convictions. What the NAB list tells us about Pakistani accountability.
By Asad Baig · Lahore · April 2026 · Approx. 4-min read
What the list was
In October 2018, the National Accountability Bureau released a list of 71 politicians and bureaucrats under investigation. The list included five former Prime Ministers:
- Nawaz Sharif
- Shaukat Aziz
- Raja Pervaiz Ashraf (former federal minister for power, nicknamed "Raja Rental" after the Rental Power Plants scandal)
- Yusuf Raza Gilani
- Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain
The list also included multiple chief ministers, federal ministers, special assistants, and senior bureaucrats. Several names had clear power-sector connections, having served in energy-related positions during periods of significant IPP decisions.
The release was treated, at the time, as a meaningful step toward accountability for the political-business networks that had defined Pakistani governance for decades.
Six years later, almost none of the cases had resulted in convictions or recovery of significant sums for the public treasury.
This article walks through what happened, and what the pattern tells us about the structure of Pakistani accountability when applied to politically connected interests.
What happened next
The cases ground forward for years. Hearings. Adjournments. Procedural disputes. Some were dismissed on technical grounds. Some resulted in plea bargains where defendants returned modest sums in exchange for case closure. Some remained under investigation with no resolution.
Most ended without convictions. The conviction rate, across the 71 cases, was substantially below the conviction rate for ordinary corruption cases against junior officials.
There is a documented pattern in Pakistani anti-corruption proceedings. The structure of accountability when it comes to a junior official who steals fifty thousand rupees from the post office works perfectly. The senior official who approves a billion-rupee tariff distortion that benefits a politically connected family will, in most cases, retire with honours.
The 2018 NAB list was the most visible recent test of this pattern. The list was specific. The names were prominent. The cases were investigated. The outcomes confirmed the pattern.
What the power-sector names tell us
Several of the 71 names had specific power-sector connections.
- Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had served as federal minister for water and power during the period when the Rental Power Plants were procured. The RPPs produced the most expensive electricity in Pakistani history. Cases were filed. Almost none resulted in recovery.
- Several former Federal Secretaries for Power were named. None faced consequences.
- Multiple political figures with documented IPP ownership relationships were named. None of the IPP-related cases resulted in changes to ownership or contract terms.
The broader pattern is that Pakistani power-sector corruption cases, even when they reach the NAB stage, typically do not produce changes in the structural arrangements they were investigating. The cases are filed. The cases proceed. The structural arrangements continue.
I have written about this at my pillar on the IPP system and at The 40 Families Who Own Pakistan's IPPs.
What the pattern means
There are three possible interpretations.
Interpretation one: The cases were weak. The investigations did not find sufficient evidence to support convictions. The dismissals reflected genuine assessment of the legal merits.
Interpretation two: The cases were strong but the legal-political environment did not allow conviction. Witnesses were intimidated. Evidence was tampered with. Judges faced pressure. Political deals were brokered.
Interpretation three: The cases were used as political tools. They were filed when politically convenient and dismissed when no longer needed. The substantive corruption questions were secondary to political dynamics.
I do not know with certainty which interpretation is most accurate for any specific case. I suspect the truth involves elements of all three across the 71 cases. What is clear is that the aggregate outcome, almost no convictions, almost no recoveries, has been consistent across multiple political administrations.
THE BROADER PATTERN
Pakistani anti-corruption proceedings against politically connected interests have, across decades, produced very few convictions and very little public recovery. The 2018 NAB list, with its 71 names including five former PMs, was the most visible recent test of this pattern. The outcomes confirmed it. The structure of accountability is designed to fail when applied to powerful interests, and to function only when applied to weak ones.
What you should take away
Two things.
The 2018 NAB list named 71 politicians and bureaucrats including five former PMs. Almost none were convicted. Almost no public recovery resulted. The pattern is consistent with broader Pakistani anti-corruption history.
Reform requires structural changes, not more lists. Listing the names is the easy part. Producing actual accountability requires legal-process reforms (witness protection, judicial independence on accountability cases, mandatory recovery of identified losses) that have not been adopted across multiple administrations.
Now you know what the NAB list was, and what it accomplished. Pass it on.
Thank you for reading.
, Asad Baig, Lahore, April 2026
Frequently asked questions
What was the 2018 NAB list? A list of 71 politicians and bureaucrats released by the National Accountability Bureau in October 2018 as being under investigation for corruption-related matters. The list included five former Prime Ministers (Nawaz Sharif, Shaukat Aziz, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Yusuf Raza Gilani, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain), multiple chief ministers, federal ministers, and senior bureaucrats.
How many of the 71 NAB cases resulted in convictions? Almost none. The cases ground forward for years with various dismissals, plea bargains, and unresolved investigations. The conviction rate was substantially below ordinary corruption case rates.
Did the NAB list include power sector figures? Yes. Several names had specific power-sector connections including former federal ministers for water and power (notably Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, associated with the Rental Power Plants era) and former Federal Secretaries for Power.
Sources and notes
- The News, 71 politicians, bureaucrats being investigated by NAB (31 October 2018)
- National Accountability Bureau, public records and case lists
- Power Sector Inquiry Report 2020 (ARY News mirror)
- Multiple Dawn, Express Tribune, and Business Recorder reports on individual NAB case outcomes
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Asad Baig