Gujranwala Division

Gujranwala : ReNews Pakistan
The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Gujranwala has registered a case against 11 people, including four tehsildars and other revenue officials, over the alleged entry of 984 bogus land mutations based on fake registry documents in Ladhe Wala Warraich village.
According to ACE Gujranwala Region spokesperson Rana Shabbir Ashraf, the allegedly fraudulent mutations were entered into official revenue records from July 2024 onwards, resulting in an estimated loss of Rs115 million to the public exchequer.
The case was registered on the directives of ACE Punjab Director General Sohail Zafar Chattha and ACE Gujranwala Region Director Amjad Shehzad as part of an investigation into alleged manipulation of land and revenue records.
Officials said the inquiry centres on hundreds of mutations allegedly processed using fake registry documents. Investigators are examining how the documents were used to make changes in official land records and whether additional government officials or private individuals facilitated the alleged irregularities.
Those nominated in the case include Tehsildars Sarfraz Ahmed Cheema, Arshad Dulo, Imtiaz Sahi and Iltif Hussain Tarrar, as well as Naib Tehsildar Captain Naseem.
Other accused include Prosh, described as an HRC official at the Gujranwala Deputy Commissioner's Office; Manzoor Ahmed Wasal Baqi; Patwaris Mustafa Mann and Bilal Butt; and deed writers Faisal Bhatti and Amanat Bhatti.
The case has been registered at the Anti-Corruption Police Station Gujranwala under Sections 409, 420, 468, 471 and 162 of the Pakistan Penal Code, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
The allegations involve suspected cheating, forgery, use of allegedly forged documents and other offences connected with the handling of public records and property transactions. The accusations against those nominated in the case remain subject to investigation and have not yet been established by a court.
Land mutations form an important part of Pakistan's revenue administration system, recording changes relating to ownership and other rights in immovable property. Fraudulent entries can lead to disputes over property rights while also causing financial losses to the government through irregular or unlawful transactions.
ACE Gujranwala Region Director Amjad Shehzad said no concession would be given to anyone found responsible for causing losses to the public exchequer.
He said investigators would also determine the role of any other officials who may have been involved in the alleged irregularities. If evidence emerges against additional individuals during the investigation, action would be initiated against them in accordance with the law.
The investigation is expected to examine the origin and authenticity of the registry documents, the procedure through which the 984 mutations were entered into revenue records and the respective roles of officials and private individuals allegedly involved in processing the transactions.
Authorities are also expected to assess the full financial impact of the alleged irregularities as the investigation progresses.

Gujranwala | ReNews Pakistan
The Anti Corruption Establishment (ACE) has uncovered 900 suspected bogus property registrations and mutations in Mouza Ladhiawala Warraich, Gujranwala, during an investigation into alleged irregularities in land-revenue records, with the suspected transactions reportedly causing a loss of more than Rs 114.86 million to the provincial exchequer in taxes, duties and other government revenue.
According to ACE Gujranwala Region Director Amjad Shehzad, the investigation was launched following complaints regarding irregularities in property records in the area. ACE teams took the relevant revenue record into custody and examined 4,987 mutations involving small and large land transactions conducted over roughly two years.
The inquiry identified around 900 transactions as suspected bogus registrations, according to the ACE official. The alleged irregularities relate to registration documents, stamp papers, property numbers and discrepancies between physical and digitally recorded ownership information.
Investigators reportedly found cases in which physical documents carried stamp papers showing values of more than Rs 3,000, while online verification indicated that the actual stamp papers had a value of only Rs 500. The ACE also identified discrepancies in property numbers and differences between the names of buyers and sellers appearing on physical documents and those recorded in the online system.
The ACE director said the suspected transactions resulted in an estimated Rs 114.865 million loss to the government through taxes, duties and other revenue associated with the property dealings.
The inquiry has also turned towards officials who served in the relevant revenue offices during the period under investigation. The ACE is examining the role of tehsildars and patwaris whose signatures appeared on disputed registration documents. The officials named by the ACE include Tehsildars Sarfraz Cheema, Altaf Hussain Tarar, Arshad Dhullo and Imtiaz Sahi, along with Patwaris Bilal Butt and Mustafa Mann.
Assistant commissioners who served in Gujranwala Sadar between July 1, 2024 and May 4, 2026 are also expected to be questioned as part of the investigation. Authorities are examining why the alleged irregularities and revenue shortfall were not detected earlier.
The investigation could have implications for around 1,800 buyers and sellers linked to the disputed transactions. According to the ACE, these individuals will be heard as the inquiry progresses.
The ACE has also alleged irregularities in the mechanism used for site verification. According to the investigation, a private team or mechanism allegedly conducted site visits, recorded videos and raised objections, following which additional fees were reportedly charged. These allegations remain subject to the ongoing inquiry.
The case highlights potential weaknesses in the verification of land transactions where physical revenue documents and digital records are expected to correspond. Investigators are now examining the reported discrepancies involving stamp papers, property numbers and buyer-seller identities to establish how the disputed registrations were processed.
The ACE has yet to conclude the investigation and determine final responsibility. Any criminal or departmental action will depend on the findings of the inquiry and the evidence established against the individuals concerned.

Gujranwala : ReNews Pakistan
The Punjab government has directed authorities to accelerate work on Gujranwala’s master plan as part of efforts to manage the city’s growing population, expanding residential and commercial development, and rapidly urbanizing peripheral areas.
Under the initiative, the scope of town planning will not remain confined to the central city but will also be extended to Gujranwala’s outlying areas to ensure more organized urban growth.
On the instructions of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Housing Secretary Noor-ul-Amin Mengal has assigned key responsibilities to the newly appointed Director General of the Gujranwala Development Authority (GDA), Sajjad Ahmed, directing him to advance work on the city’s master plan effectively and at a faster pace.
The housing secretary specifically instructed the authority to expand town planning coverage to suburban and peripheral areas so that future urban growth can be aligned with projected requirements for housing, commercial activity, industry, transport and other civic facilities.
The need for a comprehensive master plan has become increasingly important because the Gujranwala Development Authority is responsible for a wide range of town planning functions, including the approval of private housing schemes and land subdivisions, regulation of land use, action against illegal housing schemes and preparation of broader urban development plans.
Under GDA regulations, approval for a private housing scheme may generally be granted only where the land is designated for residential or peri-urban use under the relevant master plan or another approved land-use plan.
Organized land-use planning has remained a longstanding challenge in Gujranwala. A previous special audit report by the Auditor General of Pakistan had pointed out that the absence of a clearly defined master plan and incomplete demarcation under the peri-urban structure plan created difficulties in determining actual land uses and the location of private housing schemes.
The report had also highlighted the need for clearer classification of residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural and peri-urban land.
In recent years, the Punjab government has also prioritized the issue at the provincial level. In January 2025, the provincial government approved in principle the establishment of the Punjab Special Planning Authority as part of broader efforts to curb illegal housing schemes and introduce a stronger system for residential, commercial and agricultural zoning and district-level land-use planning.
According to the provincial policy framework, district land-use and zoning plans are also envisaged to undergo periodic reviews every four years.
Gujranwala is among the districts where land-use and zoning planning work had already been undertaken. Information reported in January 2025 indicated that land-use and zoning plans had been prepared for 32 districts of Punjab, with Gujranwala among the districts where the plan had also received approval.
These plans were designed to guide urban development over roughly the next two decades by defining residential, commercial and industrial zones and limiting the uncontrolled conversion of agricultural land into residential developments.
The issue also has direct implications for Gujranwala’s property market. GDA records include separate lists of approved private housing schemes, illegal housing projects and unapproved land subdivisions, underscoring the need to link future urban expansion with formal zoning and approval mechanisms.
Effective implementation of the new master plan could help determine where future residential development should take place, which areas may be designated for commercial and industrial activity, what land should remain protected for agricultural use, and where new housing schemes and infrastructure projects should be encouraged.
Against this backdrop, the directive to extend town planning to Gujranwala’s peripheral areas represents more than an exercise in updating the city’s development map. It is aimed at bringing future urban expansion, land use and real estate development under a more structured and coordinated planning framework.