Rawalpindi:
The Superior Court of Lahore has granted the Rawalpindi commissioner, Aamir Khattak, a final extension of 10 days to comply with a previous court order that suspends the sharp increase in the rates of valuation of the property established by the attached commission of advice of the Union in Rawalpindi, including historical areas such as Kotha Kalan I and II.
In a significant decision, Judge Jawad Hassan ordered that the fees, which had increased by up to 5,000%, were redeemed in 10 days. The breach will result in contempt of the judicial procedures against the commissioner and the commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheem.
The case was presented by the senior leader of PML-N Chaudhry Asif Ali, who argued that for more than 50 years, the rates of property assessment in the area had only increased by 10-15% per year.
However, in 2024, the attached commissioner increased commercial properties rates by 3,000-5,000%unprecedented, and residential properties rates by 500–3,000%, which caused property transactions to stop in these regions during the last two years.
The situation worsened when an additional increase of 1,000-3,000% was imposed as of July 1, 2025, which severely impacted the local real estate market.
The LHC had previously ordered the officials to withdraw the inflated rates and consult the interested parties to determine new fair assessments. However, both the commissioner and DC did not comply with this order, which led the court to issue a final warning.
The court has emphasized that the fees must be checked, and a report on the matter must be submitted within 10 days. If the officials do not act, the court warned that it would initiate contempt procedures.
