Karachi’s real estate corruption exposed: NAB uncovers trillions in illegal land deals

The Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), retired Lieutenant General Nazir Ahmed Butt, has shed light on the extent of corruption in the real estate market. Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) press release revealed that land documents for 7,500 acres in Karachi alone have been falsified over the years.

The value of the land suggests that approximately three trillion rupees worth of land has been encroached upon using unlawful means. According to Nazir Ahmad, going over these cases will cause a “great upheaval”.

Reports suggest that the chief of Pakistan's top accountability watchdog expressed resentment toward the development authorities of Lyari, Malir, and Karachi for failing to relinquish possession of land to the legal allottees. The aforementioned development authorities have failed to hand over possession to the allottees, in some cases dating back 40 years.

If ABAD presents evidence against those with falsified land deeds, authorities could take legal action against the perpetrators. ABAD’s collaboration with the NAB could significantly fast-track the process of victims getting justice.

In the last five years alone, about 85,000 structures have been illegally erected in Karachi. Reports claim that officials in the Sindh Government have historically been accused of skipping auctions and other legal procedures to sell land, often opting to sell land privately to people they know for benefits.

The ADAB chief, Muhammad Hassan Bakshi, spoke about how this issue could be remedied by implementing a land grant policy. However, if transparency is to be ensured, the beneficiaries of possible land grant schemes in the future should be studied thoroughly so that land gets passed on to those who truly deserve it.

According to reports, the NAB’s chairman implored officials from the ADAB to share data regarding the illegal construction of buildings in Karachi. Once NAB receives this data, illegal buildings are likely to be either regularised or demolished.

Over the last eight months, relevant authorities have reclaimed four trillion rupees worth of agricultural land in Sindh. Data from NAB has revealed the land size of reclaimed land to stand close to a whopping 1.8 million acres. This land, which was previously illegally occupied, has now been passed over to the revenue department for processing.

Currently, Sindh is not equipped with an efficient record-keeping system. Various government departments responsible for overseeing matters pertaining to land had reportedly been running without communicating with each other.

If land records get digitised, analysts claim that a significant reduction in corruption could be noted. Officials have outlined how digitising land records is imperative falsifying land records has become commonplace.