The Punjab government is planning to amend a 116-year-old law, allowing overseas Pakistanis to own and sell property in Pakistan without facing legal complications, The News reported on Saturday.
With these amendments, overseas Pakistanis will be able to submit their sale deed statements directly to their embassies, eliminating the need to travel to Pakistan.
Previously, Section 31 of the Registration Act 1908 required Pakistanis living abroad to register their power of attorney and send it to Pakistan to buy or sell real estate. The designated person in Pakistan, who received the power of attorney, was legally authorized to act in person.
This outdated law caused several legal issues for overseas Pakistanis, sometimes even leading to fraud in real estate transactions.
To address this, the Punjab government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) have collaborated to create a system where MOFA officers at foreign embassies will be assigned sub-registrar powers.
Once Section 31(1) of the Registration Act 1908 is modified, overseas Pakistanis will need to appear before a local commission officer designated by the Foreign Office at their embassy to buy or sell property in Pakistan. Meanwhile, the person involved in the transaction in Pakistan will be present at the sub-registrar’s office and verified through the NADRA system.
Sources indicated that this initiative by the Punjab government would save overseas Pakistanis millions of rupees in time and travel expenses.
