Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Karachi has no title register: deeds are registered at Sindh sub-registrar offices, open to inspection one book at a time for a fee, while most urban land is leased out by public landlords — the port trusts, the Defence Housing Authority, the development authorities and the Board of Revenue.
8 buildings · 8 with an owner established · 20 sources · 4 tier A · 4 tier B · prepared 2026-10-21
Can you find out who owns it?
Pakistan registers deeds, not titles. Under the Registration Act 1908 (as amended for Sindh in 2024) a sale, lease or mortgage is registered at a Sub-Registrar office of the Sindh Board of Revenue, and section 57 says that Book No. 1 — the register of non-testamentary deeds on immovable property — and its index are 'at all times open to inspection by any person applying', 'subject to the previous payment of the fees payable', with certified copies for anyone who asks. There is no free online owner search and no bulk ownership file. Much of Karachi is leasehold land whose lessor — the Karachi Port Trust, the Defence Housing Authority, the Karachi Development Authority and others — keeps its own allotment and transfer records.
Is ownership public?Public, but one paid search at a time
Cost of one title searchNot available at any price
Bulk ownership dataNone published
Sale pricesNo transaction data published
Sites that forbid taking their data
- psx.com.pk / dps.psx.com.pk (Pakistan Stock Exchange) — “Except if we give you prior written permission, use of any Web browsers (other than generally available third-party browsers), engines, software, spiders, robots, avatars, agents, tools or other devices or mechanisms to navigate, search or determine the PSX Website is strictly prohibited. You may print or download a single, unaltered, permanent copy ... for your personal, non-commercial use only”
1
The marquee buildings
The towers that set the tone of the core, and who holds them. A price is the price a document states, on the date it states — not an estimate of what the building is worth now.
| Building | Use | Owner | Owner type | Last price paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolmen Mall Clifton Sea View Road, Marine Promenade, Clifton, Karachi 542,847 sq ft leasable (REIT); about 1 million sq ft built-up over three levels |
Retail | Dolmen City REIT (units listed on PSX; Central Depository Company of Pakistan as trustee; managed by AHDRM (the Dolmen REIT manager)) Dolmen City REIT's Annual Report 2025: its assets 'comprise Dolmen Mall and The Harbour Front which are a part of Dolmen City Clifton', a waterfront complex that 'covers 3.4 million sq ft' (its Sky Towers and Executive Tower are not REIT assets). The mall has 542,847 sq ft leasable, 97.8% occupied at 30 June 2025. FY2025: PKR 3.08 billion change in fair value of investment property (independent valuer MYK Associates); profit after tax PKR 7.99 billion. The manager's Feb 2026 profile: fund size at inception PKR 22,237 million, trustee CDC. Units trade on the PSX. |
REIT | —A |
| The Harbour Front Dolmen City, Sea View Road, Marine Promenade, Clifton, Karachi 257,162 sq ft leasable (REIT); 'over 270,000 square feet' across seventeen floors · 19 floors |
Office | Dolmen City REIT (Central Depository Company of Pakistan as trustee) Dolmen City REIT's Annual Report 2025: 'The 19-floor Harbour Front offering just over 257,162 sq.ft. leasable area', 100% occupied at 30 June 2025, home to multinational and local companies. (The REIT manager's Feb 2026 profile says 'seventeen floors' and 'over 270,000 square feet', naming tenants Engro, Philip Morris, Mitsubishi and Procter & Gamble.) With the mall the REIT holds 800,009 sq ft leasable, 98.5% occupied overall. |
REIT | —A |
| Bahria Icon Tower (Bahria Town Icon) #5, Block 4, Shahrah-e-Firdousi, Clifton, Karachi |
Mixed use | Bahria Town Group Pakistan's tallest building: 62 storeys, 273 m roof / 300 m tip, with an adjacent 42-storey hotel tower; 'owned by the Bahria Town Group'; built 2009–2016, cost given as US$162.5 million; 'Further development of the complex has been on hold since 2021.' Distress: 'In May 2025, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) announced plans to auction Bahria Icon Tower to recover due Rs. 26.46 billion in unpaid taxes, scheduling it for 19 June 2025 under section 138(2)(a) of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001', and on 13 June 2025 the Islamabad High Court stayed the auction. Owner from English Wikipedia, not a filing (Bahria Town is unlisted), hence tier B. |
Private company | —B |
| LuckyOne Mall Rashid Minhas Road, Federal B. Area, Karachi about 3.4 million sq ft (320,000 m²) gross · 10 floors |
Mixed use | Yunus Brothers Group (developer and owning company Lucky Landmark (Pvt) Ltd) English Wikipedia: the mall 'is owned by Yunus Brothers Group', developer 'Lucky Landmark (Pvt) Ltd.', managed by Lucky One (Private) Ltd.; opened 6 May 2017; 'the largest shopping mall in Pakistan, with an area of about 3.4 million square feet'. Built on the former site of Fazal Textile Mills, a listed company the group acquired in 1987; on 8 Oct 2008 the mill decided to move production to Nooriabad, and Fazal Textile Mills was later dissolved by merging the Lucky One project into Lucky Landmark (Private) Limited. Secondary source; no filing opened. |
Private company | —B |
| Pearl-Continental Hotel Karachi Plot No. 11, CL 11, Club Road, Karachi 23,255 sq yards of land (annual report) |
Hotel | Pakistan Services Limited Pakistan Services Limited's own site: 'The Company is principally engaged in the hotel business and owns and operates the chain of "Pearl Continental Hotels" in Pakistan', listing Pearl-Continental Hotel, Karachi. Its Annual Report 2024 (note 16.1.5, particulars of immovable assets) lists 'Plot No. 11, CL 11, Club Road - hotel property', land and building, 23,255 sq yards. Encumbrance: a PKR 3,000 million term finance (3-month KIBOR + 0.75%) is secured by a 'first pari-passu charge over land and building of Pearl Continental Hotel, Karachi' to the extent of PKR 4,000 million (note 8.2). Company land was last revalued on 30 June 2022. PSL is listed on the PSX (PSEL). |
Public company | —A |
| Karachi Port Eduljee Dinshaw Road (KPT Head Office), Keamari, Karachi |
Industrial | Karachi Port Trust KPT's own profile: 'The Karachi Port is administered by a Board of Trustees, comprising Chairperson and 10 Trustees. The Chairperson is appointed by the Federal Government'; five trustees are federal nominees and five are elected by private-sector port users. The Gothic-revival KPT Head Office was completed in 1915 at a cost of 'Rs.9,74,990/-'. Container terminals are run by concessionaires (e.g. Hutchison Ports KICT, SAPT) on KPT land; the port's estate is KPT's. |
Government | —A |
| Jinnah International Airport Airport Road, Karachi 75200 |
Civic | Government of Pakistan (operated by the Pakistan Airports Authority) English Wikipedia's infobox: 'Owner Government of Pakistan', 'Operator Pakistan Airports Authority'; opened 30 March 1929. Pakistan's busiest airport. Owner not confirmed on an official page (paa.gov.pk returned no usable page), hence tier B. |
Government | —B |
| National Bank Stadium (National Stadium Karachi) Stadium Road, Karachi |
Civic | Pakistan Cricket Board English Wikipedia: 'an international cricket ground ... owned by the Pakistan Cricket Board', capacity 30,000, opened 1955; renamed National Bank Stadium in October 2022; the 2024–25 renovation for the ICC Champions Trophy is 'estimated to be around Rs.3.5 Billion' and the stadium reopened on 11 Feb 2025. Secondary source. |
Institution | —B |
2
The core land
The most valuable ground in the city, and what the public record says about it.
No assessment roll is published for Karachi. The nearest public measure of where the ground is worth most is the Federal Board of Revenue's valuation table, which fixes a 'fair market value' per square foot for every locality for income-tax purposes on transfers. It is a tax floor, not a sale price, and it ranks the military-run housing schemes near the National Stadium and in DHA Phase V at the top, well above the I.I. Chundrigar Road financial district.
Highest residential open-plot valuePKR 55,000 per sq ft
Naval Housing Society, Zamzama, DHA Phase V (PKR 60,000 built-up; PKR 70,000 commercial open plot). FBR S.R.O. 1724(I)/2024 of 29 Oct 2024, effective 1 Nov 2024, under s.68(4) Income Tax Ordinance 2001.
Highest commercial valuesPKR 70,000 per sq ft open plot; PKR 75,000 built-up
Defence Officers Housing Scheme (DOHS) near National Stadium, Army Officers Housing Scheme (AFOHS) near National Stadium, and Naval Housing Society Zamzama. Same SRO.
Defence Housing Authority Phases I–VIIPKR 8,200 per sq ft residential open plot; PKR 18,000 commercial open plot
Excluding Naval Housing Society Zamzama; flats PKR 6,200 per sq ft. Phase VIII is PKR 7,300 residential. Same SRO.
I.I. Chundrigar Road (financial district)PKR 20,000 per sq ft commercial open plot; PKR 12,000 commercial built-up
Same rates as Shahrah-e-Faisal and Abdullah Haroon Road. Lowest in the table: Surjani Town KDA Scheme-41 at PKR 400 per sq ft residential open plot. Same SRO.
3
Who owns the town
At this scale the significant owner is rarely a trust or a fund: it is one or two local holding companies, a family in its second or third generation, and often the land around the town rather than the buildings in it.
Karachi's ground is overwhelmingly held by public bodies that lease it out: the Sindh Board of Revenue for state land, the federal port bodies (Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim Authority), the Karachi Development Authority and its offshoots for the planned schemes, and the armed forces' Defence Housing Authority for the richest residential district. A buyer typically acquires a lease or allotment from one of these lessors rather than freehold, and the lessor keeps its own transfer record alongside the sub-registrar's deed books. The largest private holder of land, Bahria Town Karachi, holds its site under a Supreme Court-supervised settlement. No register-based ranking of landholders exists.
| Name | Type | Holding as the body states it |
|---|---|---|
| Board of Revenue, Government of Sindh (state land) The Board of Revenue's LARMIS page: its GIS section 'has been equipped with the capability of identifying changes in occupancy on state land through GIS Imagery in Karachi Division upto survey number level. With the assistance of this resource, unauthorized occupancy on about 60,000 acres of state land in Karachi Division has been identified in pursuance of orders of the Honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan in Suo Moto Case No. 16/11'. The figure is the encroached share, not the Board's total holding, which it does not publish. Province-wide land record covers 5,979 dehs. |
Government | about 60,000 acres of state land in Karachi Division identified as under unauthorized occupancyA |
| Pakistan Defence Officers Housing Authority (DHA Karachi) DHA Karachi's own page: established under Presidential Order 7 of 1980 for the welfare of armed-forces officers, it 'began with an allotment of mere 76.2 acres' and 'currently owns and manages over an area of 8,797 Acres', with 81,489 members (officers, civilians and legal heirs), 466 km of roads. Governance: a Governing Body chaired by the Secretary, Ministry of Defence, and an Executive Board headed by the Corps Commander Karachi; a serving Brigadier is Administrator. DHA maintains its own transfer and record office for plots. |
Government | 'over an area of 8,797 Acres'; 81,489 membersA |
| Port Qasim Authority PQA's introduction: 'Port Qasim has largest industrial zone of Pakistan spread over 15474 acres. It has more than 400 industrial/commercial units in operation.' Established under the Port Qasim Authority Act 1973 (federal). Land is allotted to industry and billed annual land dues, e.g. the KESC (K-Electric) Bin Qasim plant on 223 acres, Indus Motor on 105 acres and Fauji Foundation's Bin Qasim fertilizer plant on 350 acres (PQA history page). |
Government | industrial zone 'spread over 15474 acres'; 400+ unitsA |
| Karachi Port Trust Federal port trust (formed 1887) under the Ministry of Maritime Affairs; administers Karachi Port through a Board of Trustees with a federally appointed Chairperson. It is the lessor of the port estate (terminals, oil installation area at Keamari, wharves); its site publishes no land total. |
Government | no area published on kpt.gov.pkA |
| Karachi Development Authority KDA's introduction: 'KDA has developed about 7 lacs plots in 45 Schemes out of which 4 Schemes (Shah Latif Town, Hawksbay, Taiser Town & Halkani town) were transferred to Malir and Lyari Development Authorities in 1993.' Merged into the City District Government in 2002 and restored by the Sindh Assembly. Its 2023 service-charge schedule bills plot holders occupancy value and ground rent per scheme — the leasehold model. |
Government | 'about 7 lacs [700,000] plots in 45 Schemes' developed since 1957A |
| University of Karachi The university's own home page: 'a 1,279-acre campus with nine faculties, 53 academic departments and 20 research institutes', serving over 41,000 students. Public university, established 1951. |
Institution | 1,279-acre campusA |
| Bahria Town (Bahria Town Karachi) English Wikipedia: after a 2018 ruling that declared land acquisitions illegal, 'the Supreme Court of Pakistan accepted a Rs460 billion (approx. $3.1 billion) settlement from Bahria Town in March 2019 ... intended to legalize 16,896 acres', payable as a Rs25 billion down payment and monthly instalments of Rs2.25 billion; the article gives the project as 46,000 acres overall. In August 2016 the Court had halted construction on about 5,786 acres over the land exchange between the Sindh Government and the Malir Development Authority. Secondary source; the Supreme Court's own orders were not opened. |
Developer | 16,896 acres recognised by the Supreme Court settlement (March 2019, PKR 460 billion)B |
5
Who builds the houses
New-home building in this market: the volume, and the firms behind it. Ownership of a builder matters as much as its volume — a private-equity platform and a family firm behave differently.
New housing in Karachi comes mostly from large planned schemes rather than from house-builders: public lessors (the Karachi Development Authority's schemes, DHA's phases and DHA City) and a few private master-developers sell plots and build apartment blocks. Since the 2020s much apartment construction has moved into SECP-licensed developmental REITs, whose filings are the rare published unit and land figures. No league table of builders exists; the figures below come from each body's own pages or filings, and are land or fund sizes, not completions.
| Name | Type | Scale as stated |
|---|---|---|
| Karachi Development Authority KDA's own introduction; 4 schemes were transferred to the Malir and Lyari Development Authorities in 1993. Public Housing Scheme units are still auctioned (KDA auction notices, 2021–2023). |
Government | about 700,000 plots in 45 schemes since 1957A |
| Pakistan Defence Officers Housing Authority (DHA Karachi, DHA City Karachi) Armed-forces housing authority under Presidential Order 7 of 1980; develops and allots plots to members, and runs a separate transfer and record service for DHA City Karachi. FBR's 2024 table values DHA City (Phase IX) at PKR 700–1,400 per sq ft residential open plot. |
Government | 8,797 acres; 81,489 membersA |
| Bahria Town (Bahria Town Karachi) Privately owned gated city off the M-9 motorway, under construction since 2014 (English Wikipedia). The settlement price was PKR 460 billion in instalments. Unlisted; no filing gives units completed. |
Private company | 16,896 acres under the 2019 Supreme Court settlement; project stated at 46,000 acres; population 100,000+ (2022)B |
| Javedan Corporation Limited (Naya Nazimabad) Naya Nazimabad's own page: it 'is a project of Javedan Corporation Limited', incorporated 8 June 1961, listed, and 'a Karachi investment group is the largest shareholder and the business manager'; launched Nov 2011. The REIT manager's profile names Javedan as sponsor of Globe Residency REIT, and lists Naya Nazimabad Apartment REIT (46,597 sq yd, PKR 8.8 bn), Gymkhana Apartment REIT (29,818 sq yd in Naya Nazimabad plus land in Lahore), Garden View Apartment REIT (23,049 sq yd) and others on Naya Nazimabad land. |
Public company | sponsor of the Globe Residency REIT (40,500 sq yd, PKR 2.8 bn) and the land under the Naya Nazimabad developmental REITsA |
| AHDRM (the Dolmen REIT manager) (developmental REITs) SECP-licensed REIT manager (licence SECP/LRD/01/REIT/AHRMC/2022/16). Its Feb 2026 profile lists PKR 182.405 bn of REIT fund size under management across rental and developmental schemes in Karachi and Lahore. Investors named for Silk Islamic Development REIT include a listed Karachi holding company, Fatima Fertilizer, Y.B. Pakistan and Liberty Mills. |
Public company | Silk Islamic Development REIT: 60 acres, Surjani, indicative project size PKR 126 bn; Silk World Islamic REIT: 91 acres, Surjani, PKR 6.16 bnA |
6
Commercial landlords
The commercial side, counted separately from housing: who holds the office, retail and industrial floor area.
Karachi's institutional commercial property is thin: one listed rental REIT, a listed hotel company and a handful of private groups own the landmark malls, offices and hotels. Everything else sits with family-held companies whose holdings are not published. Floor areas below are as each source states them.
| Name | Type | Floor or land area |
|---|---|---|
| Dolmen City REIT Pakistan's first listed REIT (2015), a Shariah-compliant rental scheme; trustee CDC; manager AHDRM (the Dolmen REIT manager). Occupancy 98.5% overall at 30 June 2025 (mall 97.8%, offices 100%); FY2025 profit after tax PKR 7.99 billion including PKR 3.08 billion of fair-value gain (Annual Report 2025). |
REIT | 800,009 sq ft leasable (Dolmen Mall Clifton 542,847; The Harbour Front 257,162)A |
| Yunus Brothers Group (Lucky Landmark (Pvt) Ltd) Owner of LuckyOne Mall, Rashid Minhas Road, per English Wikipedia; built on the former Fazal Textile Mills site. Unlisted vehicle; no filing opened. |
Private company | about 3.4 million sq ft (LuckyOne Mall)B |
| Bahria Town Group Owner of Pakistan's tallest building per English Wikipedia; the FBR scheduled it for auction over PKR 26.46 billion of tax in June 2025 and the Islamabad High Court stayed the sale. |
Private company | Bahria Icon Tower complex: 62-storey tower plus 42-storey hotel tower, CliftonB |
| Pakistan Services Limited Listed hotel company that 'owns and operates' the Pearl-Continental chain; Annual Report 2024 lists the Karachi hotel land and building and a first pari-passu charge on it. |
Public company | 23,255 sq yd hotel site, Club Road (Pearl-Continental Karachi)A |
?
Looked for and not found
Claims this page would have made if a source could be opened. They are left out rather than guessed.
- An ARY News report (2019) quoted the Board of Revenue as saying property documents could be checked online for PKR 150; no fee page on bor.sindh.gov.pk states a search fee, so titleSearchFee is left null.
- Bahria Town Karachi: news reports (Nov 2023) say the Supreme Court declared the developer in default, having paid about PKR 24 billion of PKR 166.25 billion then due, and that a court-ordered survey found 3,035 acres in its possession beyond the 16,896 acres; Dawn's terms page could not be read, so these were not opened.
- Sindh Assembly building, Karachi: the seat of the provincial legislature is assumed to be Government of Sindh property, but no page stating its owner was opened, so it is not listed.
- Karachi Port Trust's total landholding: kpt.gov.pk publishes no estate area; not established.
- Karachi Marriott Hotel (9 Abdullah Haroon Road): Pakistan Services Limited's 2024 annual report uses this as an affiliated company's address, which is not a statement of ownership; owner not recorded.
- Sindh Board of Revenue's online land-record portal (sindhzameen.gos.pk) timed out; whether it offers a free owner search for urban Karachi property could not be checked.
§
Sources
- The Registration Act 1908 (Act XVI of 1908), s.57 — inspection of books and certified copies — FAOLEX (FAO) copy of the Pakistan text · openA
- The Registration (Sindh Amendment) Act, 2024 (Sindh Act No. I of 2024) — Sindh Laws (Government of Sindh) · openA
- Automation of Stamps and Registration — Board of Revenue, Government of Sindh · openA
- Computerization of Land Record of Sindh — LARMIS — Board of Revenue, Government of Sindh · openA
- AHDRM (the Dolmen REIT manager) — Company Profile (19 Feb 2026) — AHDRM (the Dolmen REIT manager) · openA
- Bahria Icon Tower — Wikipedia · openB
- LuckyOne Mall — Wikipedia · openB
- Pearl-Continental Hotels (company hotels page) — Pakistan Services Limited · openA
- KPT History and Profile — Karachi Port Trust · openA
- Jinnah International Airport — Wikipedia · openB
- National Stadium, Karachi — Wikipedia · openB
- About DHA Karachi — Pakistan Defence Officers Housing Authority, Karachi · openA
- Port Qasim — Introduction; History — Port Qasim Authority · openA
- KDA Introduction; Service Charges / Fees 2023 — Karachi Development Authority · openA
- University of Karachi — home page — University of Karachi · openA
- Bahria Town Karachi — Wikipedia · openB
- Pakistan Services Limited — Annual Report 2024 (notes 8.2, 16.1.3–16.1.5) — Pakistan Services Limited · openA
- Who We Are — Naya Nazimabad — Javedan Corporation Limited (Naya Nazimabad) · openA
- S.R.O. 1724(I)/2024 — valuation of immovable properties, Karachi (29 Oct 2024) — Federal Board of Revenue, Government of Pakistan · openA
- Dolmen City REIT — Annual Report 2025 (Directors' Report) — AHDRM (the Dolmen REIT manager) · openA