GUJRAT: Prime Minister Imran Khan is likely to inaugurate the fard issuance counters at five foreign missions of Pakistan within this month as preparations have reached the final stage.

Initially, the computerised land record services will be launched at Pakistani embassies in the UK, US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and later expanded to other missions.

The PM had directed the Punjab government around a year ago to launch these counters at the embassies to facilitate the expatriate community after which the Punjab Land Record Authority (PLRA) in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry had started working on the project. The PLRA Board of Directors had approved the project in October.

However, official sources said that exact dates of the launches were yet to be finalised. Initially, only the fard for record would be issued at these counters so that overseas Pakistanis could get their valid property ownership documents.

A senior official in PLRA told Dawn that apart from inaugurating the land record service counters at foreign missions, the PM might inaugurate the online fard issuance as well as at least 32 qanungoi-level Arazi Record Centres (ARCs) in various parts of Punjab and mobile land record service.

Currently, he said, at least 115 qanungoi-level ARCs were being constructed and around 32 would be completed in a week or two.

On Friday, he said the PLRA director general had transferred to these 32 centres at least 21 service centre in-charges, 19 land record officers, 11 assistant director land record, six assistant service centre in-charges, 106 service centre officials (SCOs) and 23 watchmen.

However he said that these postings had been made on additional charge basis and recruitment of around 650 SCOs for these centres had already been requisitioned by the PLRA. These recruitments would be made through the Punjab Public Service Commission.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2020