The Lahore Property GuideThe seller
General vs special power of attorney in Pakistan
By Adil Builders · Updated 3 November 2026
A dealer says, "Special nahi, general power of attorney hai, is liye sab kuch kar sakta hai." That sounds logical. It is also wrong. A general power of attorney (POA) does not automatically let someone sell your property, and a special one is not automatically safe to buy through.
The difference
| General POA (mukhtar nama aam) | Special POA (mukhtar nama khas) | |
|---|---|---|
| Usually covers | Many matters, or many properties | One named property or one named task |
| When the job ends | Continues until it is cancelled or the owner dies | Also ends once the named task is finished |
| Your main check | Does it clearly give power to sell this property? | Is the named task this sale, of this property? |
| Common problem | Wide words that never mention sale | The task or property named is not the one being sold |
These are common meanings, not two separate legal boxes. What the attorney can do comes from what the document says.
The rule that matters
The label does not decide the attorney's authority. The wording does.
Courts read a POA strictly:
- A general POA may not include sale. The Supreme Court has said it is wrong to assume that every general POA lets the attorney sell the owner's property.
- A special POA covers only what it names. Moiz Abbas v Latifa (2019 SCMR 74) is reported as holding that a special POA for letting a property gave no implied right to sell it.
So read the actual power. "Manage", "look after", "collect rent" and "appear before offices" are not the same as "sell, sign the sale deed, receive the price and transfer". Check that the property description matches your plot exactly.
What is the same for both
- Neither makes the attorney the owner. You still check the owner's title, then the attorney's authority.
- Registration. Punjab's Registration Act, section 17(1)(bb), lists an instrument that grants power to an attorney over a sale of immovable property among documents that must be registered. That applies whatever the document is called.
- It can end before your deal. Under sections 201 and 202 of the Contract Act, authority normally ends if the owner cancels it or dies, unless the attorney has his own interest in the property.
- Fraud risk. A special POA limits what an attorney can do. It does not stop forgery, cancellation or a false claim about the owner's wishes.
Three situations that need a lawyer
The attorney is selling to himself or a relative. The Supreme Court is reported as requiring the owner's special permission for this (Allah Bakhsh v Muhammad Riaz, PLD 2025 SC 63).
The document says "irrevocable". The word alone does not settle it. Reported decisions look at the actual deal, such as whether the attorney has paid for the property (Ijaz Bashir Qureshi, 2021 SCMR 1298).
The document says money was paid. Under Article 48 of the Stamp Act, a power to sell given without payment carries Rs. 1,000 stamp duty. One given for payment carries 2% of the amount. So look at which one was paid, and why. It may be a sale in the form of a POA.
What to check before you pay
- Read the original or a certified copy, not a WhatsApp photo.
- Find the exact words giving power to sell, sign, receive the price and transfer.
- Match the owner, attorney and property details to the CNICs and the current record.
- Check that it is registered, and where.
- Ask the office or society that holds the record whether any cancellation has been noted. LDA has its own form for cancelling a general POA, so ask LDA too for an LDA plot.
- Speak to the owner on video, close to the payment date, and confirm the sale, the price and the account receiving the money.
- Pay into an account named in the agreement. Be careful if the money goes to the attorney personally.
If the owner is abroad, see buying from an overseas owner. For the full process, see buying through a power of attorney.
The case summaries here come from a law firm's review. For a real deal, have your lawyer read the judgments and the POA itself.
From Chapter 4, Who Is Allowed to Sell? of Understanding Property in Lahore, built from PLRA, LDA and FBR sources.