KARACHI: A major land scam, involving illegal transfer of government, private, agricultural and commercial land, through forged revenue documents has been exposed in Mirpurkhas district, Sindh.
As per official record copies of which are available with The News, the scandal implicates multiple revenue officials in a decades-long manipulation of land records, enabling illegal allocations of acres of high-value land and other properties in the city centre and surrounding areas.
Despite multiple inquiries confirming fraudulent activity, including reports from Deputy Commissioner of Mirpurkhas, Enquiry and Investigation Wing of Sindh Board of Revenue and Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Mirpurkhas Zone and passage of many months, senior revenue authorities have yet to take action, reportedly due to pressure from influential local officials.
The probe began following a complaint from actual landowner Farooque Ahmed Leghari and led to formation of a fact-finding committee on December 13, 2024 by Additional Deputy Commissioner -II. The committee, comprising Additional Deputy Commissioner-II, assistant commissioners from Sindhri, Mirpurkhas and Hussain Bux Mari, conducted site visits, reviewed records and recorded statements between December 2024 and May 2025.
Key findings from the investigation reveal systematic forgeries in official land records, particularly in Deh 109 of Taluka Hussain Bux Mari. Bogus entries No 77 and 87 in Village Form VII-B were allegedly created in favour of local influential person based on counterfeit registered sale deeds.
Verification by Sub-Registrar’s office revealed significant discrepancies, including forged signatures and mismatched documentation. Official records confirmed these sale deeds did not exist, invalidating the entries.
The inquiry also outlined legitimate inheritance chain of disputed land, which belonged to Wali Muhammad until his death on October 2, 2007. His legal heirs later sold the land to buyers Junaid Khan and Farooque Ahmed Leghari between 2021 and 2023.
In contrast, the fraudulent entries dated back to October 15, 1996 and October 4, 1997, assigning 11.5 acres each to persons of a local community through fake documentation.
Investigators found revenue officials altered historical land records by chemically erasing legitimate entries and replacing them with forged ones. Discrepancies were also discovered in Mukhtiarkar office, Scan Department, Record Room Office (RRO) and Land Administration and Revenue Management Information System (LARMIS), indicating collusion among officials, including retired staff.
As many as near ten Revenue officials, including two retired, found guilty of alleged fraud and have been named in the inquiry.
Rasheed Masood, Deputy Commissioner Mirpurkhas, told The News a preliminary inquiry has been done and allegations have been proved as planted forgery against officials of DC Mirpurkhas.
DC Masood added recommendations of the inquiry has been forwarded to Board of Revenue for proper and detailed forensic inquiry and initiating of initial action against the involved officials.
Complainant and owner of the property Farooque Leghari told The News the land remains in agricultural use and under the possession of legitimate khatedars Junaid Khan and Jehanzeb Khan. Its documents were fraudulently manipulated by some officers of Mirpur Khas DC office and occupied his property, he said.
The committee recommended disciplinary action under Efficiency and Discipline Rules, 1973, against the Revenue officers and set a 15-day deadline for identifying all other characters involved. A full report was submitted to Senior Member Board of Revenue (SMBR) Sindh in June July 2025, besides an additional inspection by Directorate of Evaluation and Inspection (E&I) on July 7, 2025 called for legal proceedings.
On the other hand, Sindh Anti-Corruption Establishment also initiated its inquiry of the same matter. No concrete action has been taken by Board of Revenue authorities to date.
Senior Member Board of Revenue Syed Khalid Haider Shah, in his brief reply to The News, said he is initiating disciplinary proceedings against the involved officers.
Local sources of Commissioner and DC office Mkirpur Khas indicated the said case is just a tip of the iceberg, and in Mirpurkhas in last one decade land and properties of state, Evacuee trust, private persons worth billions of rupees had been encroached on large scale. The same sources were of the view there is need of comprehensive investigations by both the main anti-graft agencies, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Anti-Corruption Establishment of said land fraud, potentially uncovering links to influential political figures in illegal act which caused loss of billions of rupees to national exchequer.
The disclosure of this scam has sparked public outrage and renewed calls for digitisation of land records and stricter oversight of Revenue department. Civil society groups and local residents have welcomed investigation’s findings, but expressed concern over authorities’ delay in holding the culprits accountable.
Apart from official versions provided by the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mirpurkhas and Senior Member Board of Revenue (SMBR) Shah regarding initiation of legal action, credible sources within Board of Revenue (BoR) have informed The News only civil proceedings will be initiated against the individuals involved, by avoiding the laws and nature of crime.
The culprits are going to face only brief suspensions as part of disciplinary action, no criminal proceedings will be pursued, due to influence of the culprits, concluded the same sources.
