KHYBER: Officials of the Settlement and Digitisation of Land Record (SDLR) in the merged tribal districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have said that they have so far compiled family trees or genealogical records of 147,000 families here as part of efforts to have formal, accurate and digitised records of the local lands and properties.
Speaking to reporters at the Jamrud Press Club during an awareness session about the land settlement and digitisation of land records, SDLR project director for merged tribal districts Wasil Khan Khattak said that the land settlement process in the seven merged districts had been in process since 2021, with the completion and compilation of shajara-i-nasb (family tree) in 26 mauzajaat until now.
He said that phase-wise measurement of land in different parts of Jamrud had also started with hand-based and geographic information system-based mapping, which would help in the accurate measurement of all lands alongside determining the ownership rights of the land while properly indicating the share of every family and individual after making it a part of the revenue records.
He said that upon completion of the land settlement process, the land records would be permanently saved in a digitised system which could easily be accessed and retrieved by mobile phone or the internet.
“We hope that with the completion of this process, land ownership disputes and incidents of illegal occupation of lands would be drastically reduced, while the much-needed relief would be provided in transfer, inheritance, acquisition of bank loans and other official assistance,” he said.
Mr Khattak clarified that a formal procedure was adopted for the settlement of the disputed lands as the record would be digitised only when the two contending parties mutually agree to it or a court decision was already on record about the dispute.
“We will not include any disputed land in our record till the matter is amicably resolved between the two families or contending parties,” he said.
He said that the revenue department would take into account the former sale-purchase deeds, previous registries, land transfers, relevant stamp papers and other related documents so that a correct and transparent record was made in accordance with the family tree and the related ground realities in order to avoid any ambiguity.
On the occasion, SDLR senior manager (operations) Imtiaz Khan said that the land digitisation in the merged districts would not only provide legal protection for ownership rights to the residents but it would also help make the process of land transfer and inheritance more efficient and transparent.
“With digitised land records, tribesmen can easily and legally acquire loans from banks, make better planning for agricultural development and purchase good-quality seeds and agricultural tools and machines,” he said.
The official said that proper and transparent land settlement records could also promote economic and social stability in the region as it would help minimise the chances of land disputes and related litigation.
Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2026
