Guide
Goth Abad Land: Why It Is Risky for Buyers
By Maham Imtiaz
Real Estate AnalystVerified author
10 min read
Karachi's edges are dotted with goths, old villages that predate the city's planned schemes, and many of them sit on government land. Sindh's Goth Abad scheme was created in 1987 to give villagers ownership of the small house sites they lived on, through a document called a sanad. In Karachi, the scheme has also become one of the most abused land routes in the city. Courts have found forged sanads for plots far larger than the law allows, goths claiming land that belongs to development authorities, and "goths" that did not exist at all. And since 1996, the Board of Revenue has banned new village sanctions and new sanads in Karachi altogether.
That history makes goth land a land-layer risk. Our guide on how to verify property in Karachi explains that title has to trace back to a lawful grant, and for goth land that grant is a genuine sanad issued within the scheme's limits, which most plots on the market cannot show.
This guide explains what the Goth Abad scheme is, its legal limits, the Karachi ban, the court cases that show how it is misused, and the checks a buyer must make before paying for any goth plot.
What the Goth Abad scheme is
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Law | Sind Goth-Abad (Housing Scheme) Act 1987, with rules made in 2008 and an amendment in 2008 |
| Purpose | Grant villagers ownership of house sites in recognised goths on government land |
| Title document | A sanad issued by the Goth Abad Mukhtiarkar under the scheme |
| Size limit | Section 3: only two ghuntas of land can be allotted to a person |
| Area | Rural areas; dehs must be declared rural for the scheme to apply |
| Karachi | Board of Revenue banned new village sanctions and new sanads in Karachi in 1996 |
The 1996 Karachi ban and the 2009 rural declaration
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1987 | Goth Abad Act passed |
| 1996 | Board of Revenue imposes a complete ban on sanctioning new villages and issuing sanads in Karachi |
| 2001 | Local government law treats all of Sindh as urban, blocking goth regularisation in cities |
| 2008 | Amendment lets the government declare any deh rural |
| February 2009 | Over 4,000 of Sindh's 5,600 dehs declared rural, including 53 in Karachi; about 24,000 goths registered by 1996 to be regularised first at about Rs5 per square yard |
| June 2009 | Goth Abad Mukhtiarkar issues a public notice restating the 1996 ban for Karachi |
| 2024 | Sindh's Public Accounts Committee chair says the government wants to regularise goths and katchi abadis |
The ban is the single most useful fact for a buyer. A sanad for a Karachi goth plot dated after 1996, or one with no date at all, should be treated as suspect until the Goth Abad Mukhtiarkar confirms it in writing.
What courts have found
| Case | What happened |
|---|---|
| CP D-854 of 2017, Hassan Brohi Goth, Deh Nagan | Petitioner's sanad had no issue date; the Mukhtiarkar said his office never issued it and cited the 1996 ban; court found it forged and ordered a criminal complaint |
| CP D-2522 of 2014, Haji Mehmood Goth, Deh Halkani, Manghopir | A 4-acre allotment claimed under the scheme, against a two-ghunta limit; documents found forged; criminal complaint ordered in January 2018 |
| CP D-2276 of 2018, MDA land | Petitioners claimed a goth on MDA land with a 2010 "no objection" letter; MDA said the letter was forged and no goth existed; petition dismissed with Rs1 million costs in April 2025 |
| Suit 1146 of 2022, Scheme 33, Deh Bhitti Amri | A society alleged a goth claimed through a 1989 sanction for 52 acres was being used to occupy about 200 acres, while the goth itself covered about 4 acres; court restrained new allotments |
| 2016, Deh Railo near Kotri | Sanads for 15 people found "fictitious and bogus"; High Court ordered an inquiry |
The Sindh High Court order in CP D-854 of 2017 quotes the Mukhtiarkar's notice that the Board of Revenue "imposed complete ban on sanctioning of new villages and to issue Sanad(s) in the year 1996 for Karachi", and describes the petitioner's conduct as having "played mockery with this Court".
Why goth land is risky
| Risk | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Forged sanads | Courts have repeatedly found sanads that the Goth Abad office never issued |
| Size beyond the limit | A plot larger than two ghuntas cannot come from a genuine Goth Abad grant to one person |
| Karachi ban | New sanads in Karachi have been barred since 1996 |
| Goth on authority land | A goth claim can overlap KDA, MDA or society land, leading to eviction |
| Expanded claims | Small genuine goths have been used to claim far larger areas |
| Not a lease | A sanad is not a KDA or SKAA lease and may not be accepted by banks or building authorities |
| Sale by agreement only | Many goth plots change hands on stamp paper with no registered transfer |
A buyer of a goth plot is often buying from someone who is not the sanad holder, on land whose sanad may never have existed. Our guide on how to verify whether a property has actual possession explains why possession and paper must be checked together.
Goth land vs katchi abadi land
| Goth Abad land | Katchi abadi land | |
|---|---|---|
| Law | Goth Abad Act 1987 | Sindh Katchi Abadis Act 1987 |
| Authority | Goth Abad Mukhtiarkar, under the Board of Revenue | Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority |
| Title | Sanad | Registered 99-year lease |
| Size | Two ghuntas per person | Plot size bands under 1993 regulations |
| Karachi position | New sanads banned since 1996 | Regularisation open for settlements before 31 December 2011 |
| Mortgage | Not clearly allowed | Allowed to HBFC or banks |
Katchi abadi regularisation is the more developed route in Karachi. Our report on how Sindh limits katchi abadi regularisation to settlements established before 2011 explains the latest rules.
How to check a goth plot
- Ask for the original sanad and note its date, number, holder and area.
- Check the date against the 1996 ban. A Karachi sanad after 1996 is a red flag.
- Check the area. Anything larger than two ghuntas for one person is outside the scheme.
- Verify the sanad with the Goth Abad Mukhtiarkar for the district, in writing.
- Check the deh and survey number with the Board of Revenue, and whether the land belongs to KDA, MDA, a society or a cantonment.
- Search for litigation on the goth or deh in the Sindh High Court.
- Check whether the seller is the sanad holder or an heir with a succession certificate.
- Visit the site and confirm the plot sits inside the recognised goth boundary.
- Assume no bank finance or building approval until both are confirmed.
What the numbers show: Milkiyat.com findings
Two ghuntas is about 242 square yards. One acre is 40 ghuntas and 4,840 square yards, so two ghuntas = 4,840 × 2 ÷ 40 = 242 square yards.
The Manghopir claim was 80 times the legal limit. 4 acres × 40 = 160 ghuntas; 160 ÷ 2 = 80 times the two-ghunta limit per person.
The Scheme 33 goth claim was about 13 times its sanction. About 52 acres sanctioned in 1989 against about 4 acres of actual goth: 52 ÷ 4 = 13 times; and the alleged occupation of about 200 acres was about 50 times the goth's area.
Only 53 of Karachi's dehs were declared rural in 2009. Out of more than 4,000 dehs declared rural across Sindh, Karachi's share was about 1.3%.
Regularisation was priced at about Rs5 a square yard in 2009. A two-ghunta plot of 242 square yards would cost about Rs1,210 at that rate.
The 1996 ban is 30 years old. 2026 − 1996 = 30 years in which no genuine new Karachi sanad should have been issued.
Checklist before you pay
| Check | Where |
|---|---|
| Original sanad with date and number | Seller |
| Sanad confirmed as genuine | Goth Abad Mukhtiarkar |
| Issued before the 1996 Karachi ban | Sanad and Mukhtiarkar |
| Area within two ghuntas | Sanad and site measurement |
| Land not owned by KDA, MDA, a society or cantonment | Board of Revenue and land authority |
| No litigation on the goth or deh | Sindh High Court |
| Seller is the sanad holder or lawful heir | Identity card and succession certificate |
Frequently asked questions
Q1. What is Goth Abad land?
A. Government land in a recognised village where house sites were granted to villagers under the Sind Goth-Abad (Housing Scheme) Act 1987, through a document called a sanad.
Q2. Can new Goth Abad sanads be issued in Karachi?
A. No. The Board of Revenue banned new village sanctions and new sanads in Karachi in 1996, a ban restated in a 2009 public notice.
Q3. How much land can one person get under Goth Abad?
A. Two ghuntas, about 242 square yards, under section 3 of the Act.
Q4. Is a sanad the same as a lease?
A. No. A sanad is a Goth Abad grant document, not a registered KDA or SKAA lease, and it may not be accepted for bank finance or building approval.
Q5. How common are fake sanads?
A. The Sindh High Court has repeatedly found forged sanads and ordered criminal complaints, including in 2017 and 2018 cases in Karachi.
Q6. Can a goth claim override a society or authority's land?
A. Courts have rejected goth claims built on forged papers and restrained expansions beyond a goth's genuine area. Each claim depends on its records.
Q7. Should I buy a goth plot?
A. Only if the sanad is genuine, issued before 1996 for Karachi, within the two-ghunta limit, held by the seller, and the land is not claimed by any other authority. Most goth plots on the market fail at least one of these tests.
This guide is for general information. Goth Abad rules, notifications and court positions change, and buyers should verify every sanad, deh record and claim with the Goth Abad Mukhtiarkar, the Board of Revenue and a qualified lawyer before paying.