The Capital Development Authority has lifted the ban on property transfers in accordance with an order issued by the Islamabad High Court.
A letter from Riaz Khan, Additional Director Land Affectees, confirmed the revocation of the ban imposed by the Deputy Director General Land in January 2024.
Before the official prohibit on transfers of property linked to land affectees was enforced in January 2024, an unofficial transfer restriction had already been in place for several months.
Initially, the ban targeted the transfer of properties allocated to land affectees during the tenure of former Member Estate, Afnan Alam Khan.
However, it extended to numerous other cases, causing uncertainty for hundreds of buyers.
The CDA sold its plots in open auctions or allocated them to affected individuals, who then sold them on the open market.
These were the people whose land was acquired by the CDA, and they were given plots as compensation.
While the transfer of plot ownership through open auctions went smoothly, the process was halted for plots assigned to land-affected individuals.
This led to strong protests from the Real Estate Agents Association, who voiced their concerns at the civic authority’s premises regarding the ban on transferring titles in the land affectees’ sector.
Despite the association’s efforts, their concerns were not addressed, even after meetings with Chairman CDA, Captain (Retired) Anwar-ul-Haq, and the then-Member Estate.
Real Estate Agents
The Real Estate Agents’ Association emphasised the importance of identifying specific instances of wrongdoing and holding those accountable, rather than halting the entire process.
Following this, some individuals petitioned the Islamabad High Court, which ordered the civic authority to immediately begin transferring properties to private individuals, citing their undeniable right to ownership.
Despite the CDA’s notification, realtors are sceptical of the authority’s intentions, suspecting it was issued under court pressure.
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