The federal government has decided to take strict action against fraud related to property files and plots, with the prime minister ordering the formation of a high-level committee to review the issue.
According to a private TV channel report, the government has constituted a committee to conduct a comprehensive review of the legal status of buying and selling property files, plots, villas, and apartments. The committee has been formed amid growing concerns over fraud, tax evasion, and investor protection, with the stated aim of improving transparency in the real estate sector.
A government notification said the committee will be headed by the Minister for Law and Justice. Its members will include the Chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), senior members of the Boards of Revenue from all provinces, a Grade-21 or above representative of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Chief Commissioner of Islamabad Capital Territory, and a representative of the Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD). The FBR will provide secretarial support to the committee.
The committee has been tasked with examining the operational mechanism and legal status of the property file system. It will also analyze the impact of this business on government revenue at both the federal and provincial levels.
In addition, the committee will review the rights of file holders and buyers, particularly issues related to alleged fraud by developers, issuance of fake or duplicate files, and the repeated sale of the same property to multiple buyers.
Under its terms of reference, the committee will recommend necessary amendments to relevant laws to bring the buying and selling of property files under a clear and formal legal framework. The move aims to ensure proper tax collection and provide legal protection to investors.
The committee has also been given the authority to examine any other matters related to its mandate. It has been directed to submit its report to the government within one month.
Further the committee was formed following the revelation of a major housing scandal, in which private housing schemes in Islamabad and Rawalpindi allegedly sold more than 90,000 plots without owning the land and collected hundreds of billions of rupees from the public.
