Lahore Division

Lahore | Re News Pakistan
The proposed establishment of the Punjab Asset Management Authority to identify, manage and derive economic benefits from idle and underutilised government assets is being viewed as a significant development in the province’s real estate and public financial management. Government departments, autonomous bodies and other public organisations control vast tracts of land, buildings and other properties that have long remained scattered across different administrative systems, with a considerable portion either unused or inefficiently utilised.
Many government assets are not only underutilised but also vulnerable to encroachments, informal occupation and poor management. In some cases, comprehensive information about their current market value, legal status and potential future use is unavailable. Under such circumstances, a centralised and professional asset management system could play a key role in transforming public property from mere entries in official records into productive resources serving economic and public interests.
The proposed authority’s most important task would be to prepare a comprehensive digital record of government land, buildings and other properties across the province. A geographic information system (GIS)-based database could consolidate each asset’s location, area, ownership, current use, legal status, structural condition and potential market value in a centralised system.
In a province as large as Punjab, fragmented records among different government institutions are a major challenge. In some cases, land may be owned by one institution, used by another department and administered by a third. A central digital system could help reduce such administrative gaps while also revealing the accurate number and true economic potential of government assets.
According to real estate experts, activating government assets should not mean selling every valuable plot or building. Modern asset management focuses primarily on ensuring the best and most appropriate use of each property. Land that may be needed in the future for hospitals, schools, universities, parks, transport infrastructure or other public projects should be preserved in line with long-term public needs rather than immediately commercialised.
At the same time, government properties with limited current use could be brought into economic activity through long-term leases, joint development projects or public-private partnerships. Under this model, the government could retain ownership of the land while obtaining capital, technology and management expertise from the private sector. This could generate a sustained stream of revenue without permanently selling public assets.
Underutilised government land located in major urban centres is considered particularly important. Subject to proper master planning, zoning and legal requirements, some sites could be converted into commercial, residential, industrial or mixed-use developments. This could not only provide financial benefits to the government but also create opportunities for new investment, employment and urban development.
However, any plan to improve the use of government assets cannot succeed without strong systems of transparency and accountability. Public land is highly sensitive in relation to political and business interests, creating a persistent risk of non-transparent decisions in its sale, leasing or development partnerships.
For this purpose, independent and professional valuations would be essential before any major transaction. Publishing basic information such as market value, the valuation methodology, reserve price, bidding rules, successful bidder and final financial terms could improve transparency. Making information about government assets and major related financial transactions available through a modern digital platform could strengthen the confidence of both investors and the public.
Oversight of the authority’s performance should not be limited to annual audits. Measurable targets would need to be established, including the number of assets identified, surveys completed, land recovered from encroachments, development projects launched and revenue generated. Quarterly or biannual performance reports would make it possible to assess whether the institution is genuinely converting public wealth into productive resources or merely functioning as another layer of administration.
The initiative could also face risks including overlapping jurisdictions, bureaucratic resistance and political interference. In the past, unclear divisions of authority and weak implementation have been major reasons why various reform bodies and task forces failed to deliver the desired results. The new authority would therefore require clearly defined legal powers, effective access to departmental records and the involvement of experts in real estate, finance, law, urban planning and asset management.
Ultimately, the success of the Punjab Asset Management Authority will be determined not by its establishment but by its practical results. If the province succeeds in compiling a comprehensive digital record of its government assets, determining their accurate market value, recovering valuable land from illegal occupation and transparently converting idle properties into revenue or public benefit, the initiative could represent a major reform in Punjab’s real estate and financial management.
However, if transparency, independent oversight and accountability are ignored, and the authority remains merely another bureaucratic layer, its core objectives could be undermined. The idea of converting Punjab’s idle government assets into productive resources is economically sound, but its success will depend on complete digital records, accurate valuations, transparent decision-making, independent oversight and clearly measurable outcomes.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan
On the directives of LDA Director General Tahir Farooq, the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Town Planning Wing has intensified its crackdown on illegal commercial activities and non-payment of commercial fees. LDA teams conducted operations across various areas within the authority’s controlled jurisdiction, sealing a total of 81 properties.
According to the LDA, the operations were carried out in Gulberg, Canal Road, Gulshan Ravi, Shadbagh, Shah Jamal, Poonch Road and Allama Iqbal Town. In Gulberg, 30 properties were sealed for illegal commercial use.
A further 40 properties were sealed along Canal Road, Gulshan Ravi, Shadbagh, Shah Jamal and Poonch Road over violations involving illegal commercial use and non-payment of commercial fees. During a recovery operation in Allama Iqbal Town, another 11 properties were sealed.
The sealed properties included private schools, grocery stores, beauty salons, cafés, restaurants, food points, clinics, pharmacies, shops, showrooms, auto workshops and offices, among other commercial establishments.
The LDA said the operation was conducted under the supervision of Chief Town Planner-I Asad-uz-Zaman. The authority stated that action against illegal commercial buildings and property owners who have defaulted on commercial fees would continue without discrimination across the city.
LDA Director General Tahir Farooq said no leniency would be shown toward properties violating regulations and that strict enforcement of commercial rules would be ensured.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan
Property registration activities in Punjab are facing renewed difficulties as technical and system related issues involving the Punjab Land Records Authority (PLRA) and Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) continue to affect the processing of property transactions.
The latest situation has created uncertainty among property buyers, sellers, deed writers and real-estate professionals, particularly over the generation and verification of challans required before a registry can be completed.
Reports of disruptions have emerged against the backdrop of the province’s transition towards a more integrated digital property-registration system. Similar technical problems were reported in June, when PLRA and FBR portal glitches reportedly prevented some sub-registrars from accessing the systems and left registrations pending.
However, as of August 25, there is no official PLRA notification available confirming a complete province-wide suspension of property registries. The official PLRA website continues to show “Apply for New Registry” as an active service and provides the digital procedure for completing registration.
Under the current digital process, applicants have to generate the required e-Stamp challan, pay stamp duty and applicable FBR taxes, registration and mutation fees, and then proceed through verification and the Sub Registrar process.
The disruption is therefore being viewed primarily as a system and implementation problem rather than a formally announced ban on registries.
The issue is particularly significant because Punjab has recently introduced major changes to its land and property-record system, including the Green Property Certificate, which became mandatory for land and property transactions from July 1. The certificate was introduced under the Punjab Urban Land Systems Enhancement (PULSE) project to improve transparency and security in property transactions.
Property stakeholders are concerned that delays in digital verification, challan processing and coordination between PLRA and FBR systems could slow transactions and affect government revenue collection.
A previous disruption in Rawalpindi also demonstrated the impact that administrative and valuation changes can have on registrations. In July, a sharp increase in DC valuation rates, combined with the absence of updated tax and fee notifications, reportedly brought registrations in the district to a standstill, leaving thousands of cases pending.
The latest developments have consequently renewed calls from property stakeholders for PLRA, the Board of Revenue and FBR to ensure uninterrupted operation of the digital registration system and provide clear instructions to registration offices.
For now, the official PLRA platform continues to advertise registry services, indicating that registrations have not been officially suspended across Punjab, although transaction-level disruptions may be occurring because of technical and procedural issues.