Wed Apr 02 07:20:00 UTC 2025: ## Pakistan’s Auqaf Department Manages Vast Religious Property Portfolio
**ISLAMABAD** – Pakistan’s management of Waqf properties, religious endowments, is overseen not by a single “Waqf Board,” but by a network of Auqaf Departments at the provincial level and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) at the national level. This system, established through the 1976 Auqaf Act, places government control over these assets.
According to recent data, the ETPB alone manages a significant portfolio including 109,369 acres of land (Punjab: 85,331 acres; Sindh: 21,735 acres; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 2,301 acres; Balochistan: 2 acres) and 15,619 commercial properties. Provincial Auqaf Departments further expand this control.
The Punjab Auqaf Department, for instance, reports managing 74,964 acres (29,907 cultivable, 45,057 uncultivable), along with 6,179 shops and 1,426 houses. Sindh’s Auqaf Department controls 10,823 acres of agricultural land, 2,226 shops, and other properties, generating 103 million rupees in revenue in 2024. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Auqaf Department manages 8,138 acres, while Balochistan’s holdings are minimal.
These departments are responsible for maintaining mosques, shrines, graveyards, and other religious sites, using donations and revenue for charitable purposes such as religious education, poverty relief, and healthcare.
The scale of Waqf properties in Pakistan contrasts sharply with the reported holdings in India, where Waqf Boards reportedly control 940,000 acres of land and a vast array of properties, making it the third-largest landholder after the railway and defense departments. The majority of these assets are located in Uttar Pradesh.
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