Estate Office Moves to Cancel Allotments of 7,973 Federal Employees Over Unpaid Rent

Federal authorities have identified 7,973 government employees across the country who are in default on rent payments for the official residences they occupy, according to documents cited in a private television report. The Estate Office has now issued notices to the defaulters and signaled that it will move to cancel their house allotments if the outstanding dues are not cleared.

Karachi accounts for the largest share of the defaults by a wide margin, with 5,317 employees reportedly failing to pay rent for government accommodation there. That figure represents roughly 74.26 percent of all identified defaulters nationwide, placing the port city at the top of the city-wise breakdown.

The remaining defaulters are spread across other major cities. Islamabad recorded 2,169 federal employees with unpaid rent, while Lahore reported 404, Peshawar 57 and Quetta 26. The concentration of cases in Karachi and Islamabad suggests that the recovery effort will focus heavily on the two cities.

According to sources, the Estate Office has decided to take firm action to recover the outstanding amounts, and notices have already been served to the employees concerned. Under the authorities' decision, employees who fail to settle their rent for government residences will have their allotments cancelled.

The move is intended to speed up the recovery of unpaid rents on government housing, which represents a significant public resource. Officials have not indicated a timeline for the cancellation process or whether affected employees will be given an opportunity to clear dues before allotments are withdrawn.

The figures highlight the scale of outstanding rent owed on government accommodation at a time when authorities are under pressure to ensure the efficient use of state property and tighten financial discipline across federal departments.