If you are buying, inheriting or mortgaging agricultural or rural land in Pakistan, one document decides almost everything - the jamabandi. Yet most buyers cannot read it, confuse it with the registry deed, and assume that a name in the record means guaranteed ownership. This guide breaks the Register of Rights down in plain language: what it contains, how to decode the numbers, how to pull it online, and where its legal limits lie.
What is jamabandi?
Jamabandi is the Urdu and Punjabi name for the Record of Rights (Register of Rights) that the revenue department maintains for every mauza (revenue estate, usually a village). Under the Punjab Land Revenue Act 1967 - and the parallel Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan Land Revenue Acts of the same era - the record of rights must show, for each holding, the owners, their shares, the tenants and cultivators, the rent or land revenue payable, and any charges such as mortgages or easements attached to the land.
It is a colonial-era system, first standardised across the subcontinent to make land revenue collection systematic. A fresh jamabandi is normally compiled every four years, folding in all the mutations (intiqal) that have been attested since the last edition. That four-year cycle is why an older jamabandi can lag behind reality - always check the mutation trail as well.
Jamabandi vs Fard: the difference
People use the two words interchangeably, but they are not the same:
- Jamabandi - the complete register for the whole estate, held by the revenue office.
- Fard - a certified extract of that register for one specific owner, khewat or plot, issued to you on request. A Fard-e-Malkiat (ownership fard) is the copy you actually hand to a bank, a sub-registrar, or a court.
For step-by-step help obtaining one, see our guide on how to get a Fard (land record) in Pakistan.
Khewat, khatooni and khasra numbers
The jamabandi is organised around three sets of numbers. Confusing them is the single most common mistake buyers make:
| Term | What it identifies | Think of it as |
|---|---|---|
| Khewat / Khata | An ownership holding - the account of one owner (or set of co-owners) and their share | The owner's account number |
| Khatooni | A cultivation or tenancy holding - who actually farms the land and on what terms | The cultivator's account number |
| Khasra | An individual field or plot on the ground, with its area and boundaries | The plot / survey number |
| Mauza | The revenue estate (village) the record belongs to | The village / estate |
A khasra number stays constant across editions; when a plot is split it becomes 1/1, 1/2 and so on. One khewat can contain several khasra numbers, and several owners can share a single khewat with fractional shares - which is exactly how inherited joint land appears before it is formally partitioned.
Why the shares matter: in inherited land the jamabandi shows each heir's fractional share in the khewat (for example, a son at twice a daughter's share under Sunni Hanafi rules). If those fractions look wrong, the underlying inheritance mutation may be defective - and that is a dispute worth resolving before you buy in.
How to read a jamabandi entry
A typical jamabandi page runs in columns from left to right. Read them in this order and you can decode almost any fard:
| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Khewat & khatooni | The ownership and cultivation holding numbers |
| Owner (malik) & share | Name, parentage, and the fraction of the holding owned |
| Cultivator (kashtkar) | Owner-cultivated, or the tenant and tenancy terms |
| Khasra numbers & area | The plots in the holding and their measured area (kanal / marla) |
| Land revenue / rent | Revenue or rent assessed on the land |
| Remarks (kaifiat) | Mortgages, mutations, court orders and other charges - read this carefully |
How to check jamabandi online
Most provinces have digitised their records, though coverage and portals differ. Fees are modest and vary by province and district - confirm the current figure at the counter or portal.
| Province | System | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Punjab | PLRA (Arazi Record Centres) | punjab-zameen.gov.pk portal or your tehsil ARC |
| Sindh | LARMIS | Board of Revenue Sindh service centres |
| Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | LRMIS | KP Board of Revenue record centres |
| Balochistan | Being computerised | Largely manual at the patwar / revenue office |
In Punjab the flow is simple: open the PLRA portal, choose your district, tehsil and mauza, then search by owner name, khewat or khasra number, and view or order the fard. For a full walkthrough see verifying land ownership online in Pakistan. Note that a portal print is for viewing; banks, registrars and courts usually require a certified fard from an ARC or service centre.
Does jamabandi prove ownership?
This is where buyers get caught. Under the Land Revenue Act 1967 the entries in the record of rights carry a presumption of truth - but that presumption is rebuttable. The jamabandi is a fiscal record built to collect revenue, not a title document. Superior courts have repeatedly held that a mutation or a revenue entry does not by itself create or extinguish ownership; title flows from a valid transaction such as a registered sale deed, gift or inheritance.
In practice that means you should never rely on the fard alone. Cross-check it against the registered deed at the sub-registrar, trace the mutation (intiqal) history, and confirm the chain against the full registry and mutation process. For rural and farm land, our note on agricultural land laws in Pakistan covers the extra checks that apply.
Using jamabandi for due diligence
Before you pay a rupee, the jamabandi should answer four questions: who owns the land, in what share, subject to what charges, and does the physical plot match the khasra. Watch for over-writing, a khewat share that does not add up, a mortgage sitting quietly in the remarks column, or a recent inheritance mutation that not every heir agreed to. These are the classic entry points for property fraud and fake-ownership scams. A structured document verification - fard, deed, mutation and site check together - is the only reliable defence.
Frequently asked questions
What is jamabandi in simple terms?
It is the official Register of Rights for a village or estate, listing who owns each plot, their share, who cultivates it, and the revenue payable - maintained by the revenue department under the Land Revenue Act 1967.
Is jamabandi the same as a title deed?
No. It is a fiscal record with a presumption of truth, not conclusive proof of title. Ownership comes from a registered deed, gift or inheritance, which the jamabandi merely reflects.
What is the difference between khewat and khatooni?
Khewat identifies an ownership holding (the owner's account); khatooni identifies a cultivation or tenancy holding (who farms it). Khasra identifies the actual plot on the ground.
How do I get a certified fard?
Apply at an Arazi Record Centre or provincial service centre (or the relevant online portal), give the district, tehsil, mauza and owner or khasra details, pay the fee, and collect the certified extract.
How often does jamabandi change?
A fresh jamabandi is usually prepared every four years, but individual entries update sooner whenever a mutation (intiqal) is sanctioned after a sale, gift, inheritance or partition.