No land changes hands in Pakistan without a fard. Whether you are buying a plot, applying for a bank loan against property, settling an inheritance or fighting a possession dispute, the first document any lawyer or bank asks for is the fard-e-malkiat. Yet most buyers cannot read it. This guide breaks down what a fard actually is, where to get one province by province, and how to decode every column so a doctored record cannot slip past you.
What is a fard (record of rights)?
A fard, short for fard-e-malkiat (ownership statement), is an official extract from the register haqdaran-e-zameen - the register of landowners maintained by the revenue department. That register, in its periodic four-yearly form, is called the jamabandi, and is also known as the record of rights or misal haqiat. In simple terms, the fard is a certified snapshot of what the government record says about a specific piece of land at a given moment.
The record of rights is maintained under provincial land revenue law - for example the Punjab Land Revenue Act 1967 and equivalent statutes in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Historically the local patwari kept it by hand. Since the roll-out of the Land Records Management Information System (LRMIS) from 2006 onward, Punjab and Sindh have digitised these records, and the fard is now issued electronically from computerised centres rather than a patwari's diary.
Important distinction: a fard is evidence of the record, not conclusive proof of title. Ownership itself passes through a registered sale deed and the subsequent mutation (intiqal). The fard simply reflects that chain.
Types of fard you may need
Not every fard is the same. Ask for the right one for your purpose:
| Type of fard | What it is used for |
|---|---|
| Fard-e-Malkiat | General ownership record - the standard fard for proving who owns the land. |
| Fard-e-Bay (Fard for sale) | Issued specifically for a sale transaction and registration of the deed. |
| Fard-e-Taqseem | Partition record, used when jointly owned land is divided among co-owners. |
| Fard-e-Girdawari | Crop-inspection record showing possession and cultivation each season. |
How to read a fard - column by column
A jamabandi fard is laid out in numbered columns. You do not need to be a patwari to read it, but you do need to know what each field means:
| Column | Term | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khewat | The ownership number - identifies the owner or set of co-owners. Can change in the next jamabandi. |
| 2 | Khatuni | The cultivation or possession number. A khatuni is a subdivision of a khewat. |
| 3-4 | Owner & cultivator | Names of owner(s) with parentage, and the person in possession or tenancy. |
| 5-6 | Share & well | Each owner's fractional share in the khewat and any well or water source. |
| 7 | Khasra | The specific plot number. This never changes across jamabandis - your anchor for identity. |
| 8-11 | Area & land type | Area in kanal/marla and the class of land: nehri (canal), chahi (well), barani (rain-fed) or gair mumkin (non-cultivable/built up). |
| 12 | Kaifiat (remarks) | The most critical column. Every mutation, sale, mortgage, court order or charge is noted here. |
Two quick checks separate a genuine fard from a manipulated one. First, the khasra number must match the plot you are buying - it is the only field that stays constant. Second, the totals must tally: the sum of areas in each khatuni should add up correctly at the foot of the khewat. Always read Column 12 line by line, because a single entry there can quietly change who owns or controls the land.
How to obtain your fard, province by province
Where and how you get a fard depends on your province and how far its digitisation has progressed:
| Province | System / authority | Where to apply |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab | PLRA / LRMIS | Arazi Record Centre in person, the Punjab Zameen mobile app, or punjab-zameen.gov.pk. |
| Sindh | LARMIS (Board of Revenue) | sindhzameen.gos.pk and designated service centres in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana. |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Online land record portal | District-level online portal for most districts; local revenue office where not yet digitised. |
| Balochistan | Mostly manual | Local patwari and tehsil revenue office; online digitisation is still limited. |
The in-person route is the most common. At a Punjab Arazi Record Centre you present your CNIC; staff search the record by name, father or husband name, or khewat number, and issue a printed, computerised fard - typically within 10 to 15 minutes. The online and app routes let you register with your CNIC and mobile number, then request a fard by entering the khewat, khatuni or khasra numbers. For a full walk-through of checking title from your phone, see our guide on how to verify land ownership online in Pakistan.
Fees and turnaround
A fard is deliberately cheap so that owners can obtain it easily. Exact charges are set by each province and change from time to time, so treat the figures below as typical ranges, not fixed rates.
| Service | Typical fee (PKR) | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Computerised fard-e-malkiat (ARC) | A few hundred rupees | 10 - 15 minutes |
| Fard for sale / registration (Fard-e-Bay) | Varies by district | Same day, usually |
| Online / app fard request | Nominal, paid digitally | Instant to same day |
Fees vary by province, district and fard type and are revised periodically. For an exact quote and help pulling the right fard for a transaction, speak to our property team before you pay any agent a mark-up.
Why you must verify a fard before you buy
A fresh, correctly read fard is your cheapest insurance against property fraud. Because the fard reflects the record of rights, it exposes the two things fraudsters hide: who really owns the land and what charges sit on it. Before parting with any money you should obtain a current fard yourself - never rely on a copy handed to you by the seller - and cross-check it against the registered deed and the mutation history.
Watch for red flags in Column 12: an unexplained mortgage, a pending court order, or a recent mutation that does not match the seller's story. A mismatch between the khasra on the fard and the plot on the ground is a classic sign of a property scam. For the full pre-purchase checklist, read our guide on how to verify property documents in Pakistan, and understand how the fard fits the wider jamabandi register of rights. If you have already been dispossessed or the record looks tampered with, our property and land dispute resolution team can act quickly.
Frequently asked questions
Is a fard the same as a registry?
No. The registry (registered sale deed) is the instrument that transfers ownership under the Registration Act 1908. The fard is the revenue record of rights that reflects ownership. You need both, plus the mutation, for a clean title.
Can I get a fard for someone else's land?
Fard-e-malkiat is a public record, so a fard can generally be obtained for verification purposes using the khewat, khatuni or khasra numbers. This is exactly why buyers can and should pull it before purchasing.
How often is the jamabandi updated?
The jamabandi is a periodic record traditionally revised every four years, but the underlying record of rights is updated continuously through mutations recorded in the remarks column.
What if the fard and the physical plot do not match?
Stop the transaction. A mismatch in khasra number, area or boundaries points to a manipulated record or an outright scam and needs a lawyer to investigate before any money moves.
Does a computerised fard replace the mutation?
No. The fard shows the current state of the record; the mutation (intiqal) is the step that actually enters a new owner into that record after a transfer. Both matter.