Ownership records

Registry vs Intiqal: what is the difference?

By Adil Builders · Updated 25 September 2026

One person says "I have the registry." Another says "no problem, intiqal ho chuka hai." A third says "Fard hai." Beginners wonder which one is the ownership document.

None of them is. They are three parts of the same story.

The short version

Registry: Ahmed sold this property to Shaheer. (The transaction.)

Intiqal: the land record has been updated to reflect that change. (The record update.)

Fard: here is an official extract showing what the record says now. (The snapshot.)

Registry

A registry is the formal registration of the transaction or deed. A sale deed is prepared, and it goes through the registration process in front of the Sub-Registrar. PLRA's e-Registry process involves checking the buyer, seller and witnesses, their appearance before the Sub-Registrar, and the registered document being issued.

A registry is important evidence of a transaction. It does not by itself answer whether the seller was entitled to sell, whether there are other owners, whether the land is mortgaged, or whether the land record has been updated.

Intiqal (mutation)

Intiqal is the recording of a change in ownership in the official land record. When ownership changes through sale, gift, inheritance or a court order, PLRA enters the change and the authorised Revenue Officer attests it. Then the land record is updated.

Why does it matter? Imagine you hold a registered sale deed, but the revenue record still shows Ahmed as the owner. Your transaction and the land record are now out of step. The mutation brings them back together.

So which one proves ownership?

They are not competing documents. Use them together, and check each one independently.

For a typical purchase of revenue land, ask the seller for all three:

The current Fard: what does the record say now?
The registry or sale deed through which the seller acquired it: how did they get it?
The mutation: was that acquisition recorded?

If the seller bought recently, also look at the transaction before theirs. That is the start of checking the chain of title.

After you buy

"Registry ho gayi" does not mean you are finished. Make sure the mutation is completed and then get an updated Fard showing you as owner. PLRA provides online verification for Fard and mutation, so check the final record yourself.

For society plots the process can look different, because many societies run their own transfer system. See registry vs society transfer.

From Chapter 3, Fard, Registry and Intiqal of Understanding Property in Lahore, built from PLRA, LDA and FBR sources.