ISLAMABAD: Under policy reforms introduced by the Gilgit-Baltistan government with the assistance of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), secure land tenure titles were given to 322 households of Kharfaq village in Ghanche district on Monday.

       Under the Economic Transformation Initiative (ETI) of Gilgit-Baltistan, secure land titles will be provided to about 30,000 households for a total of 50,000 acres of land. ETI is a seven-year initiative co-financed by the GB government and IFAD. Women-headed households also benefited and received the land titles.

       Secure land title has been a complex challenge, and for the last 36 years, land titling has remained pending in unsettled areas of Gilgit-Baltistan. This has been, among others, a key constraint for the population regarding investment in land development, agribusiness and most importantly inability to present it as collateral for access to formal finance.

       IFAD Country Director in Pakistan Hubert Boirard together with Commissioner of Baltistan Division Shuja Alam awarded the land tenure titles to household at the regional office of the Economic Transformation Initiative at Skardu.

       Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2022