Muhammad Ali Rana

Long absence creates opportunities for illegal possession, a silent theft affecting thousands. In my ongoing work, particularly in “ The Hidden Engine of South Asia ,” I’ve tried to shed light on the unseen economic forces that truly sustain our region – the common citizens. Yet too often, these very individuals find themselves at the mercy of a system that fails to protect their most fundamental rights, especially when it comes to property. This problem is not just a personal tragedy for victims—it has national consequences. Weak property protections scare away investors. For a country like Pakistan, which urgently needs foreign direct investment (FDI) to fill its current account gap and boost growth, the inability to guarantee secure land ownership becomes a hidden but powerful deterrent. Today, I want to address a specific, pervasive, and deeply insidious form of injustice: “long absence dispossession.” A Law with Potential but Failing in Practice Pakistan has a potent law, the Ille...

Recently, I accompanied someone to an Anti-Corruption Department office in Pakistan, where he had filed a complaint in a property fraud case. I wasn’t directly involved — just there to help clarify the matter, as I had some background understanding of how the system works. What I saw was deeply troubling. Applicants were being mistreated, asked irrelevant questions, and in some cases even threatened into withdrawing their complaints. The behavior was so discouraging that many walked away without hope. There was no proper guidance, no dignity in the process — just confusion and fear. The specific case I witnessed was simple — and should never have taken long to resolve. A man had purchased land and paid all official dues, including the FBR fee, through a government employee. The registry was processed and approved — and everyone assumed the fee had been paid. But here lies the failure: At the time of registry, no one in the office checked the actual status of the FBR payment. The system...