ISLAMABAD: The Benami Adjudicating Authority, Islamabad has disposed of all 56 pending cases, involving big benami movable/immovable properties, within four and a half months period despite facing adverse conditions, limited resources/infrastructure and an acute shortage of staff.
Sources told Business Recorder that the Benami Adjudicating Authority was non-functional since 2022 and dozens of cases were pending with the authority in the past. When the authority was reactivated on October 8, 2025, it has 56 pending benami transaction cases with major cases of immovable properties. Since then, the authority has cleared the entire backlog in a record time period. All 56 big benami cases have been decided by the Benami Adjudicating Authority.
In the meanwhile, 13 new cases have been filed during this period and are currently under the process of hearing. However, further proceedings have reportedly been stalled due to the absence of a registrar and supporting staff.
This remarkable performance has been shown by existing team of Chairman and members of the Benami Adjudicating Authority, Islamabad.
According to sources, the authority was established six years ago by the federal government to adjudicate cases detected by the Anti-Benami Department operating under the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). Since its inception in 2019, the authority has faced persistent challenges, including shortage of resources, logistics, and manpower, as well as lack of attention from the FBR, which kept it largely inactive for extended periods.
After its establishment on June 29, 2019, the authority remained inactive for four months until November 11, 2019, and became operational on November 12, 2019. It functioned for one year and 20 days until January 2, 2021, before becoming inactive again on January 3, 2021. It remained dormant for two months and resumed operations on March 3, 2021, continuing to function until April 6, 2023. From April 6, 2023, to October 8, 2025, the authority remained inactive for nearly two and a half years before being reactivated once again.
Sources further revealed that the authority is currently facing serious operational hurdles due to a lack of resources and staff. The registrar of the authority has been suspended, resulting in a halt to official correspondence and other administrative matters related to cases. Moreover, the authority has no subordinate staff despite repeated requests made to the FBR for the provision of necessary personnel.
Astonishingly, the authority reportedly wokring without any official vehicles. One 1300cc vehicle previously used by the registrar has been returned to the relevant Large Taxpayers Office (LTO) following the registrar’s suspension.
Officials concluded that without immediate provision of staff and logistical support, the disposal of newly filed cases may face further delays.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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