MPs Attend Promotional Events for Dubai Property Development Linked to Banned Tycoons
Three Members of Parliament (MPs) have been involved in promoting a luxury property development in Dubai, despite the fact that the tycoons behind the project are banned from entering the UK. The events, which were aimed at encouraging British-Pakistani investors to buy homes in a new desert city called Waada, were attended by Labour MPs Afzal Khan and Naz Shah, as well as pro-Gaza independent MP Ayoub Khan.
The company responsible for developing the sprawling site is run by Malik Riaz Hussain and his son, Ali Riaz Malik. These two individuals are wanted in their native Pakistan and have been banned from entering Britain following an investigation into bribery and corruption. In 2019, they agreed to forfeit £140 million in cash and a Knightsbridge home worth £50 million after being investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA), which is often referred to as Britain’s FBI.
The NCA used its asset-freezing powers during an investigation by Pakistani authorities into alleged corruption involving Bahria Town, a gated housing firm. Although there are no rules preventing MPs from promoting property investments, the backbenchers face scrutiny over their judgment in endorsing a project backed by allegedly corrupt businessmen who are banned from the UK.
Background on the Developers
Malik Riaz Hussain, once ranked as Pakistan’s fourth richest man, and his son are now seeking investors for the ambitious development in the desert of south Dubai. According to their firm, Waada would eventually house 40,000 people in flats, villas, mansions, and a five-star hotel surrounded by landscaped gardens and lagoons. A scale model of the Eiffel Tower is set to be the centrepiece of the development.
The three MPs attended promotional events organized by the pair, who have always protested their innocence. These events targeted investors from the British-Pakistani community in June 2025, as revealed by the Sunday Times.
MP Involvement in the Events
Afzal Khan, Labour MP for Rusholme and a member of Parliament’s Joint Human Rights Committee, was a “distinguished guest” at an event in Stockport where he gave interviews praising the proposed city’s strategic location. He was later sacked as UK trade envoy to Turkey after the Daily Mail revealed how he had caused a diplomatic spat with an unauthorised trip to northern Cyprus.
Ayoub Khan, independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, was “guest of honour” at a roadshow in the West Midlands. He recorded a video hailing the developers’ “track record” in construction and said they were “looking at making affordable properties in Dubai.”
Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, was an “esteemed guest” at a gala in Mayfair. She praised the firm’s “successful reputation in Pakistan,” adding: “If they can deliver in Dubai, many people, not just Pakistanis, will be looking towards it.”
Publicity and Concerns
The attendance of the three MPs was subsequently highlighted on Bahria Town’s website and social media. As they are unable to travel to the UK due to the country’s “commitment to combat corruption and financial crime,” the father and son behind the project instead delivered video messages at the events.
Mr. Hussain, 72, is described on the Bahria Town website as “a man larger than life and a legend for all times to come.” However, in 2019, he and his family agreed to forfeit £140 million held in nine UK bank accounts and the value of the 16,000 sq ft Knightsbridge home after the NCA investigation.
Despite this, after being passed to the Pakistani government, the money was allegedly then illicitly used by the country’s then PM, former cricketer Imran Khan, to pay off Mr. Hussain’s debts. The former leader was later jailed for 14 years over the alleged deal but continues to protest his innocence.
Meanwhile, both Mr. Hussain and his son are subject to investigations into alleged corruption and money laundering by the Pakistani authorities—allegations he has branded “blackmail” and politically motivated.
Responses from the MPs
Afzal Khan told the Sunday Times he attended the event “briefly after being invited by a local business person, not the organisers.” He added: “I did not address the room, endorse the company or promote the project. I have not invested in the project, and neither I nor my family have received any gifts or inducements.”
In a statement to the paper, Ayoub Khan said that at the time he attended the event he had “no prior knowledge of any historical impropriety associated with the project’s owners, nor did I know who they were.” He added: “I did not encourage constituents to personally invest in the initiative and I certainly did not exercise my status to any such end: any attempts to imply otherwise are simply disingenuous and misinformed.”
Ayoub Khan said he had written to Bahria Town “requesting the immediate removal of all references to me from their public platforms.” Additionally, he said he was not an investor in the project and had had no engagement with it since his appearance.
A spokesman for Ms. Shah told the Sunday Times: “Naz gets invited to attend many events by her constituents that relate to their Pakistani heritage and this was one of those events.”
All three have been approached for comment, along with Bahria Town.
