LAHORE DIVISION

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan The Lahore High Court (LHC) has restrained the Anti Corruption Department from taking disciplinary action against members of a private cooperative housing society, while examining the department’s jurisdiction to initiate inquiries into disputes involving private cooperative societies. Justice Muhammad Jawad Zafar heard a petition filed by Sheikh Sadaqat, general secretary of a private cooperative society, challenging the Anti Corruption Department’s intervention and inquiry against the society. During Friday’s proceedings, the court issued an interim stay against the inquiry and directed that no disciplinary action be taken against the petitioner until the next hearing. The case has been fixed for further proceedings on September 21. Advocate Mian Dawood appeared before the court on behalf of the petitioner, while the Anti Corruption Department submitted its written response. During the hearing, the prosecution maintained that under the Cooperative Societies Act, members of cooperative societies fall within the definition of public servants and can therefore come under the department’s anti-corruption jurisdiction. The petitioner’s counsel strongly contested this position, arguing that the Lahore High Court had already settled the issue in its earlier judgment in the Khalid Wasim case. According to the counsel, the court had previously held that members of cooperative societies could not be treated as public servants because they neither hold government positions nor receive salaries from the government treasury. The counsel further argued that in light of the earlier ruling, the Anti Corruption Department lacked legal authority to interfere in disputes concerning cooperative housing societies. He maintained that such matters should be dealt with by the Cooperative Department, which is the relevant regulatory and administrative forum for cooperative societies. The petitioner also alleged that the Anti Corruption Department had increasingly been used to initiate inquiries against citizens on the basis of unsubstantiated complaints. He claimed that such proceedings had resulted in unnecessary harassment and misuse of official authority. Describing the ongoing inquiry against the housing society as an example of alleged jurisdictional overreach, the petitioner’s counsel requested the court to declare the Anti Corruption Department’s proceedings unlawful and quash the inquiry. The latest interim order provides temporary relief to the petitioner and prevents disciplinary action against him until the next hearing. However, the court has yet to issue a final ruling on whether the Anti Corruption Department has jurisdiction over members and affairs of private cooperative housing societies. The case could have broader implications for the regulation of cooperative housing societies in Punjab, particularly regarding the respective roles and jurisdictions of the Anti Corruption Department and the Cooperative Department in dealing with complaints, administrative disputes and alleged irregularities within private housing societies.

Lahore | Riaz Hussain ReNews Pakistan Concerns have emerged among stakeholders in the real estate sector over certain negative social media campaigns concerning DHA Lahore. Ch Touqeer Asif, Director Information of the DHA Estate Agents Association, said that unverified, misleading or one-sided information about the property market could undermine investor confidence and negatively affect real estate professionals and overall business activity. According to him, DHA Lahore is one of Pakistan’s major and prominent real estate markets, with nearly 200,000 members. In addition to investors from across Pakistan, overseas Pakistanis from various countries also invest in DHA Lahore and consider it an important market for property investment. Ch Touqeer Asif said that over the past few days, negative campaigns and commentary concerning different phases of DHA Lahore have appeared on certain social media accounts. He noted that, in some cases, the apparent objective of such activities may be to generate views, reach and social media engagement. However, he cautioned that the potential impact of irresponsible information should not be overlooked, particularly in a sensitive sector such as real estate. He said that any news, claim or allegation appearing on social media should not automatically be treated as fact and should instead be verified through relevant and credible sources. He particularly stressed that making property investment or buying and selling decisions on the basis of rumours or unverified information could expose buyers and investors to financial losses. The DHA Estate Agents Association also highlighted the importance of maintaining a professional code of conduct among real estate agents. According to the association, realtors operating in DHA Lahore have a responsibility to provide clients with accurate and verifiable information, avoid creating unnecessary fear or uncertainty in the market, and adhere to professional and ethical standards in property transactions. Ch Touqeer Asif further said that the business activity of the large real estate community associated with DHA Lahore depends significantly on market confidence and a stable business environment. He urged all stakeholders to act responsibly when disseminating information and to verify facts thoroughly before forming opinions or making decisions about any property-related matter.

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.