COMPUTERISATION OF LAND RECORDS IN PAKISTAN

1. COMPUTERISATION OF LAND RECORDS IN PAKISTAN Research paper written by Muhammad Usman Qazi & Presented by S.M. Raza (PAKISTAN)

2. Information Management in Pakistan INITIATIVE The Government of Pakistan embarked upon a number of initiatives around the turn of the century to introduce computerization in official business. The most significant initiative is the establishment of National Database Registration Authority (NADRA)

3. National Database Registration Authority INITIATIVE NADRA has been mandated to gather computerize all the demographic data about citizens using ICT based solutions. NADRA has been successful in issuing more than 50 Million computerized national identity cards to Pakistani adults.

4. E-Government Directorate INITIATIVE With the view to automate the Government’s internal communication process, Government of Pakistan established an E-Government Directorate in 2002. Most of the computerization initiatives in Pakistan have been designed more for recording, controlling and accounting for information rather than sharing with people.

5. Information Management : The Case of Land Records History The information systems in Pakistan’s public sector are predominantly paper based and elaborate filing system is in place from British colonial system. Land enjoys a significant place among the assets owned by the people in both urban and rural context in Pakistan.

6. Information Management : The Case of Land Records…. Cont… History There exist a complex and elaborate system of land record management, basically founded by Sher Shah Suri (1472-1545 AD) this system was taken to scale by the following Mughals and British colonial powers. At present all over Pakistan Board of Revenue (BOR) is responsible to maintain land records and in the field a junior officer called “Patwari / Tape-Dar” is the sole custodian of data.

7. Information Management : The Case of Land Records…. Cont… Issues Pakistan’s land record system is antiquated and raises several concerns including Obsolete and Opaque system of land revenue management. There have been disputes over rights and delays in courts as lack of credible information generates considerable delays in resolving pending cases in courts.

8. Introduction of ICT in Land Records Management Initiative Land Record Management Information System Program (LRMISP), a project housed in BOR. A number of previous attempts had been made since 1980’s to computerize the land records but they all failed because of number of technological and political reasons The donor agencies primarily World Bank found it useful to reduce the formal and informal transaction making the land assets more efficiently integrated into the market.

9. Land Record Management Information System Program Initiative The manually recorded data was entered into the computers in close collaboration with the “Patwaris” and they were trained in operating the system as an integral part of project design. After data input and validation, the provincial Government through legislation granted legal status to the “fards” produced by the system and then abolished the practice of issuance o manual “fards” in the plot area.

10. Land Record Management Information System Program Challenges and opportunities The computerization as a stand alone initiative is not going to provide even the perception of assets security. A procedural and systematic reform is necessary to facilitate the computerization to take root. The computerization of records system involves large financial costs in terms of procurement of hardware, software, human resources as training requirements

11. Land Record Management Information System Program Challenges and opportunities With expansion of communication infrastructure, increased awareness more people can access computerized information. Advancement in the field of e-security is making more robust options, available to ensure the accountability and transparency of citizen’s records management process.

12. Land Record Management Information System Program Conclusion A political will behind the concept of empowering people through informing them is a necessary pre-condition for introduce ICT based systems. A gradual and complete transformation of the procedures, protocols and environment of the related public sector departments will be needed in parallel to automation exercise to ensure the social change does not lag too far behind the technological change….