Islamabad Capital Territory

Islamabad : ReNews Pakistan
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) Development Working Party (DWP) has approved the construction of Islamabad’s 11th Avenue at an estimated cost of PKR 24.5 billion, along with development of three multi-purpose sports arenas in F-8, D-12 and G-11.
According to details released on September 25, the CDA-DWP approved the PC-I for the 7.5-kilometre 11th Avenue, a major road infrastructure project planned to improve connectivity across several sectors of the federal capital. The project will extend from IJP Road to the E-11 interchange, providing a new east-west link across the city.
The planned avenue will comprise three lanes on each side and include approximately 17 bridges and overpasses to facilitate traffic movement and address major crossings along the route.
The road will pass between I-10 and I-11, G-10 and G-11, and F-10 and F-11, before connecting with the E-11 interchange. The section between E-11 and D-12 has already been completed and is known as Iran Avenue, forming part of the broader connectivity network envisaged under the project.
The approval of the 11th Avenue PC-I comes alongside the CDA-DWP’s approval of development plans for three sports arenas, with a combined estimated cost of approximately PKR 1 billion.
The F-8 Markaz sports arena has been allocated PKR 307 million, while PKR 327 million has been approved for the facility in D-12/1 and PKR 317 million for the arena planned in G-11/3.
The proposed sports facilities are designed as multi-purpose recreational and coaching centres. They will include swimming pools, indoor gyms, futsal courts, cricket cages, padel courts, basketball courts, multi-sports halls and indoor play areas for children.
The facilities are also expected to provide dedicated spaces for sports training and coaching, expanding access to organised recreational activities for residents of the capital.
Under the approved plans, both the 11th Avenue project and the three sports arenas are scheduled to be completed within one year of the commencement of construction.
The projects form part of the CDA’s broader infrastructure and recreational development programme aimed at improving road connectivity while expanding public facilities across Islamabad.

Islamabad | ReNews Pakistan Pakistan is moving towards a formal regulatory framework for virtual assets, with the government examining their potential use in remittances, public debt and real estate as part of a broader drive to expand the country’s digital economy. The emerging framework is expected to establish rules covering licensing, regulatory oversight and the operation of virtual asset related activities, as authorities seek to bring the rapidly developing digital-asset ecosystem within a structured legal and financial framework. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb outlined the government's plans during a ministerial dialogue of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) in New York, according to the Finance Division. The proposed framework comes amid growing adoption of virtual assets globally and increasing interest in using blockchain-based technologies for financial transactions and asset management. One of the areas under consideration is cross border remittances, where digital-asset infrastructure could potentially reduce transaction costs and make international transfers faster and more seamless. For Pakistan, which relies heavily on overseas remittances as a source of foreign exchange, the government is examining whether emerging digital technologies can improve the efficiency of such transfers while operating within an appropriate regulatory framework. The government is also exploring tokenisation of real estate and public debt, potentially opening a new avenue for digital financial products linked to traditionally physical or conventional financial assets. In a tokenisation model, ownership rights or economic interests associated with a real-world asset can be represented digitally through blockchain based tokens. In the real-estate sector, such technology could potentially support the digital representation of interests in property or real-estate investment structures, subject to legal, regulatory and ownership requirements. For Pakistan’s property market, the concept could eventually create opportunities for more digitally structured investment and financing mechanisms. However, the government's current position is that these areas are under exploration, rather than being established as operational real-estate products. Any move towards tokenised property would require clear rules governing ownership rights, investor protection, taxation, valuation, transferability, custody and dispute resolution. The inclusion of public debt among the potential applications also indicates that the government is considering blockchain and digital-asset technology beyond cryptocurrencies and private-sector transactions. The proposed virtual-asset framework is therefore expected to form part of a wider effort to determine how digital assets can be integrated into Pakistan's regulated financial and economic system. Aurangzeb said Pakistan's broader digital agenda includes the development of digital public infrastructure and greater adoption of cashless payment systems. The government is also focusing on expanding digital skills through upskilling and reskilling, with particular attention to improving connectivity and enabling freelancers and other digital workers to move towards higher value services. The strategy is aimed at increasing participation in the digital economy while creating an environment in which technology can contribute to productivity, financial inclusion and economic growth. For the property sector, digitalisation could extend beyond tokenisation. Digitised land records, electronic property transactions, digital payments and blockchain-based verification could potentially improve the efficiency and transparency of property-related processes if supported by appropriate institutional and legal safeguards. The government, however, has yet to announce a final operational framework for tokenised real estate or specify how property ownership would be represented, transferred or regulated through digital tokens. Aurangzeb linked Pakistan's digital transformation with the country's transition from economic stabilisation towards sustainable and technology-driven growth. He also called on DCO member states to strengthen cooperation in areas including policy development, investment and the sharing of successful digital-economy models. The Finance Minister is currently in New York for the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, where Pakistan is also engaging with international partners on economic and development issues. The proposed virtual asset framework could mark an important step in determining how Pakistan regulates digital assets while exploring their potential applications across remittances, financial markets and real estate.

Islamabad | ReNews Pakistan
The Supreme Court has ruled that mutations and other entries recorded in official revenue records carry a legal presumption of correctness and cannot be set aside merely on the basis of objections or unsubstantiated allegations.

A three-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, dismissed a civil petition filed by Abdul Latif and others concerning a land ownership dispute in Balochistan, refusing to grant leave to appeal.

In a detailed judgment authored by Justice Aqeel Ahmad Abbasi, the court held that under Section 52 of the West Pakistan Land Revenue Act, 1967, mutations and other entries maintained in official revenue records carry a legal presumption of truth. The party challenging such an entry must produce solid and credible evidence to rebut this presumption.

The court clarified that merely objecting to a gift (hiba) or a mutation recorded in the revenue record is not sufficient. If a party alleges that a mutation was entered through fraud, forgery or an error in the record, it must substantiate the claim with reliable and convincing evidence.

According to the detailed judgment, Mutation No. 448 was recorded in favour of Abdul Jabbar on October 30, 1998. However, neither the petitioners nor the legal heirs of the previous owner had challenged the mutation before the revenue authorities or any court.

The Supreme Court observed that a belated objection or an unsubstantiated claim is insufficient to invalidate an old revenue entry. The court therefore dismissed the civil petition filed by the petitioners.