In the last 2-3 years, Bahria Town (both in Lahore and Islamabad) has become a very well known and oft repeated name with real estate investors in and outside Pakistan.   Thousands of overseas investors applied for, and several thousand lucky ones got, plots in Bahria Town.

However, in the months following the initial euphoria, investor confidence, especially for those sitting afar with no visibility into the local progress, was quite shaken by rumors and delays.  Delays in the start of development and plot allocation gave wind to rumors of fraud and corruption.  There were even rumors that the owners had run away from the country with crores of rupees.  Many of these rumors were quashed by the Bahria Town management itself, through quite a massive TV and press campaign.  It became pretty obvious that nobody was "running away" anywhere!  Still, the delay in handing off plots, especially in Sector C, continued to create doubts in some investors' minds. "Why aren't the prices rising?", "When will I get my plot?", etc. were questions that plagued a lot of conversations.

Now, we had been hearing these conversations and also passively tracking the progress, inquiring through friends and associates in Lahore, about the Bahria Town future. We heard different stories - some optimistic, some not.  Some people said to forget about the investment for now and wait for the long-term gains.  Some said to divest immediately, even if it meant taking a hit, and put your money elsewhere.  But what nobody was able to give us was a first hand view of what is happening in terms of development.  Is the development under progress and if so, are the signs indicating a solid, viable community, or is the development so tardy and substandard that you should run away from any investments you might have made in Bahria? Also, the information available through official Bahria sources was obviously not considered "objective", including the development shown on websites and paid advertisements.

So, we took a more active interest and tried to unearth some objective facts.  Courtesy some special correspondents in Lahore, we were able to find out the following about Bahria Town Lahore and we know many of you will find this information useful.  Also, since pictures speak a thousand words, we've acquired plenty of original pictures, not provided by Bahria or any of its agents, for your visual reference.  Please note that this is not an advertising feature and we do not represent the Bahria owners or management in any way.  This is our perspective, which is based on the best of our information and knowledge, with no official or unofficial linkages or connections to Bahria itself.

1.  Bahria Town has made significant strides in development in some of its sectors, esp. Sectors A and B.  Sector C is under development and according to our sources, it should be another 12-18 months before people start getting "plots" instead of just holding paper files.

2.  The management is ubiquitously present on site and also in other Bahria offices, indicating a credible and confident stance.

3.  The development is definitely underway, albeit slow.  Sectors A and B have developed a great deal and Sector C is now under development.  Prices for Sectors A and B are very lucrative; Sector C is stagnant at considerably low prices per plot, but that has a lot to do with the fact that it has just come under development a little while ago.

4.  The management seems to be spending a lot of money and effort on building the infrastructure, including roads, parks, commercial complexes, etc. 

5.  There are many architectural notables, including themes for different locales (e.g. the Egyptian theme featured in some of the pictures) that make Bahria a a very interesting and well conceived scheme to visit and live in. This definitely isn't your run of the mill house-plot-house array of dull, boring residential communities.