Islamabad, (Parliament Times) : The inaugural meeting of the Pakistan Society for Real Estate Studies (PRES) was held today at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad. This pioneering initiative—the first of its kind in the country, was chaired by Maj Gen Shahid Mahmood Kayani, HI(M) (Retd), Rector NUML, and attended by prominent stakeholders from the real estate, planning, and development sectors.
Distinguished participants included Mr. Jawed Ali Khan, Country Head of UN-Habitat Pakistan, Dr. Nadeem ul Haque, former Country Director IMF, and senior representatives from REITs, construction’ associations, the Ministry of Housing, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), and major housing societies such as Capital Smart City, The Garden, and IMARAT. Several international experts have also joined PRES, bringing global perspectives to local urban challenges.
As urbanization accelerates in Pakistan—with projections indicating that over 45% of the population will reside in urban areas by 2030—many cities are grappling with economic disparities, inefficient land use, and environmental degradation. In response, PRES has been established to serve as a think tank and collaborative platform for addressing these challenges through evidence-based policy input, academic programs, and industry engagement.
PRES will undertake a range of initiatives including organizing the International Conference on Real Estate (ICRE), publishing policy papers and briefs, offering short courses and capacity-building programs, and introducing a Sustainability Index to assess and encourage eco-friendly, inclusive development by housing societies and urban developers.
During the meeting, participants strongly advocated for enhanced collaboration between academia, industry, government regulators, and development partners to combat illegal housing schemes, improve market transparency, and curb unplanned urban sprawl.
Several strategic recommendations were proposed, including ; Introduction of regulatory measures for the real estate sector, Integration of real estate studies into academic curricula, Reforms in taxation related to property transactions, Establishment of a centralized control authority for oversight and enforcement, Licensing of property dealers to ensure professional standards, Digitization of property trading for greater transparency, Addressing affordability issues for middle and lower-income segments.
The attendees commended NUML’s visionary leadership in establishing PRES and emphasized its critical role in shaping a more sustainable, transparent, and professionally governed real estate sector in Pakistan.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to advancing PRES’s mission through sustained research, policy advocacy, and strategic partnerships aimed at transforming urban development practices nationwide.