NAB Proposes ‘One-Click Digital Disclosure System’ to Curb Massive Housing Frauds in Islamabad, Rawalpindi

Islamabad: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has proposed a “Digital One-Click Disclosure System” that would allow citizens to instantly verify the legal status of any housing scheme, its approved layout plan, and the existence of a specific plot.

In response to widespread fraud by private housing and cooperative societies, NAB Rawalpindi has drafted a four-point reform agenda aimed at eliminating irregularities in the private housing sector. Initially, these reforms are being considered for implementation in Islamabad and Rawalpindi—where more than 90,000 citizens lost billions of rupees to non-existent plots.

The proposed reforms, shared with the Ministry of Housing and Works, the Capital Development Authority (CDA), and the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), include:

**a)** Creation of a central online portal publishing all regulator-approved layout plans (LOPs), enabling the public to independently verify any scheme’s claims.
**b)** Introduction of secure allotment letters containing QR or barcodes linked to official databases to prevent overselling of plots.
**c)** Establishment of a mandatory escrow account for each project, monitored by an independent third party to ensure that public funds are used solely for development works.
**d)** Making the illegal sale of amenity plots a punishable criminal offense with strict penalties.

Under the new digital system, buyers will be able to verify—within seconds—whether a plot actually exists on official maps, whether the housing scheme is legally approved, and what its current development status is. All verified information will be accessed through a single government portal.

A senior NAB officer said the system would empower citizens and prevent fraudulent developers from exploiting buyers with false promises. “Transparency will be enforced not just through regulations but through technology accessible to anyone with a smartphone,” he added.

NAB has also provided CDA with a detailed 15-point procedure for implementing the escrow system, which will work in coordination with the digital portal to ensure both financial and developmental transparency.

Director General NAB, Waqar Ahmed Chauhan, expressed confidence that these far-reaching reforms would permanently resolve the grievances of millions of affected citizens and restore trust in Pakistan’s real estate sector. He said the move was initiated after a sharp increase in public complaints involving developers siphoning off citizens’ savings, abandoning projects, and causing massive financial losses.

He added that the proposed reforms, once adopted as part of national policy, would significantly strengthen public protection and rebuild confidence in the country’s housing sector.

Earlier, *The News* reported that scams in private housing schemes in Islamabad and Rawalpindi alone had resulted in losses of hundreds of billions of rupees. Over 91,000 additional plots and 80,000 kanals were sold beyond approved maps—marking what is being called the biggest land fraud in the twin cities, involving overselling, fake memberships, and deceptive marketing practices by private and cooperative societies.