Rawalpindi:
Lahore High Court has awarded Rawalpindi Commissioner Aamir Khattak one last 10-day extension to comply with a previous judicial decision suspending the sharp increase in the property assessment rate established by the Deputy Commissioner of Trade Association Council in Rawalpindi, including historic areas such as Kotha Kalan I and II.
In a significant decision, Justice Jawad Hassan ordered the rates that had risen by as much as 5,000%are changed within 10 days. Failure to comply will result in disdain for litigation against both Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema.
The case was filed by senior PML-N leader Chaudhry Asif Ali, who argued that property valuation rates for over 50 years had only risen by 10-15% annually.
By 2024, however, the Deputy Commissioner raised the commercial property with an unprecedented 3,000-5,000%, and the residential property by 500-3,000%, causing real estate transactions to stop in these regions in the last two years.
The situation deteriorated as a further increase of 1,000-3,000% was introduced from July 1, 2025, which seriously affected the local real estate market.
LHC had previously instructed the officials to withdraw the inflated rates and consult stakeholders to determine new, fair valuation. However, both the Commissioner and the DC failed to comply with this order, which caused the right to issue a final warning.
The court has now emphasized that the rates must be revised and a report on the case must be submitted within 10 days. If the officials do not act, the court warned that it would initiate contempt negotiations.
