Rejecting the surge in property rents, the Waqf Action Committee has announced to initiate a nationwide protest movement against the Waqf Property Department.

During a meeting – chaired by Atiq Mir, chairman of the All Karachi Trade Union, the decision to double property rents was criticized terming the ordinance as “dagger of cruelty” that disproportionately burdens tenants in Karachi.

Under the 2006 Amendment Ordinance, the department can increase rents by 8 percent annually and adjust them every six years based on market values, at the discretion of officers.

Additionally, the Abandoned Waqf Property Conversion Tenancy Act mandates a fee equivalent to 60 months of rent, further inflating costs for renters.

Mir emphasized that such rent hikes make it impossible for tenants to afford property rates, promoting a bribery culture within the department.

He further indicated that standardizing surge in rent across businesses of varying scales is inequitable, warned that if the ordinance is enforced arbitrarily, tenants would stop paying dues, restrict inspectors’ access to markets, and escalate protests nationwide.

A sit-in is also planned at Karachi’s old exhibition site near the Waqf Property office.