Across Pakistan, 31 December is designated as the annual Close of the revenue system, under which all land and property related records maintained by the Board of Revenue are formally closed on a yearly basis. This process encompasses all administrative levels, from the traditional patwari system to modern computerised land record offices.

On 31 December, land mutations, the Jamabandi or Record of Rights, and other entries are given final form on an annual basis, while revenue related accounts including land revenue and water charges are closed and carried forward into the new year.

Within the revenue system, the most prominent symbol of this day is the Lal Kitab, regarded as the fundamental and classical register of the patwari system. The Lal Kitab records information relating to the nature of the land, natural conditions, crop status, and agricultural resources of the area, details that are not ordinarily included in standard registers. At the end of the year, the renewal of this record is informally understood as a summary of the land’s History of Title.

According to our real estate analyst, this annual closure on 31 December is of particular importance for investors and developers, as it forms the basis for determining the legal status of land, tax liabilities, and revenue assessments for the coming year. It is at this point that the previous year is formally closed in terms of land records, and the new year begins with fresh entries.

Revenue officials state that although Pakistan’s financial year commences on 1 July, within the land record and patwari system 31 December continues to be regarded as a practical deadline, reflecting an administrative continuity that extends back centuries.

Digital land ownership records, both in Pakistan and in many parts of the world, are also frozen on 31 December, and at midnight a new register or digital database is opened for the following year. This process is significant as it determines the total value of land ownership transferred over the course of the year.