They were right in saying that patience is a virtue if you are a Capital Smart City member….

But patience has limits. Who knew that the recent so-called Grand Balloting process was actually a cleverly designed money-hunting stunt in the name of patience?

Until this grand ballot saga, Capital Smart City Islamabad had been leading the real estate market with its innovative ‘Smart City’ concept and customer-centric approach since its launch, i.e., 2019. Also, with the promise of offering the most top-notch amenities, and an international standard lifestyle, the project has attracted thousands of customers, from Pakistanis within and outside the country.

Moving ahead, probably in the middle of this year, Capital Smart City announced its Grand Balloting, with a ‘slab levels’ categorization (based on the maximum amount of paid installments), and promised to allocate plot numbers to all the members of the society, either old or new, just like any other society would do!

How Did The Balloting Turn into A Disappointing Plot Twist?

However, the Capital Smart City balloting has actually proven to be one of the biggest scams in the real estate industry so far. The society’s approach turned out to be nothing less than disappointment as the entire process was manipulated and used for personal gains.

With the dream of getting desirably the most well-located plot, and as per the pre-requisites, members paid the highest possible dues, until the balloting day arrived…

Little did the members know about the plot twist here! Which was that the society had ‘reserved’ all the best or well-located plots! Also, the plots that were meant to be allocated to slab 1 members, (particularly those facing the main boulevard, park-front plots, and sought-after corner plots across a range of sizes like 1 Kanal, 8 Marla, and 10 Marla), could not even make it up to balloting, and the ones that did, were of second-category plots.

And it’s not only for residential plots but the same tactic was applied to commercial plots as well.

Balloting Scandal: Financial Manipulation and a Web of Lies!

Well, a long story short, the members have been ditched with the biggest scam in real estate. And, to be seen indecisively, it was highly unexpected yet the greatest blunder a society could have done with the trust and commitment of thousands of national as well as overseas customers. Also, the same was seen in the case of Lahore Smart City as well! Where also, the society collected billions in the pretext of balloting and the end result was nothing.

The center of all this manipulation and hypocrisy (shockingly) was Mr. Malik Aslam, the one who was handling the entire balloting process. Who, while pretending to keep his promises has fooled investors and disregarded members’ trust and confidence.

The depth of this deception can and should never be understated. Aslam and the entire Capital Smart City management have not only misused billions of investments from the end users but have also played with the trust and innocence of the investors. This distrust has already been a nightmare for Pakistan’s real estate.

The Real Tragedy is End Users Left Betrayed…

In a real estate world full of promises, this project had actually raised the bar until now. However, this stunt from the management side has shattered the trust of years perhaps to an unbendable level.

The actual victims of this manipulation and mismanagement, in the pretext of balloting, are the end users who have been punished for nothing but just for dreaming of a home in a prosperous and secure community. And rather than having this, they have been left with shattered dreams and lost investments.

Members paid the highest installments to secure well-located category plots just to find out that the “best” plots had already been reserved, and allegedly held back by the society or Malik Aslam himself for reasons not disclosed so far.

Customers, having waited for years, are still left with nothing. With investments of millions of rupees, all in the pretext of due installments, which was a prerequisite of balloting, the members have invested all the savings one could ever have. And the end result is neither the plot of their choice nor the plot number or the possession!

Demand for Accountability & Justice for the Robbed Members

In short, Capital Smart City balloting was nothing but an act of heavy mismanagement, which should not go unpunished and demands prompt and decisive action from the concerned authorities or stakeholders. Only this can restore the broken faith in Capital Smart City and perhaps mend the gap between the management and end users.

Because unfortunately, it has become a custom in Pakistan’s real estate where almost in every society, the end user, even after investing their life savings, ends up getting nothing. Whatever the circumstances for this particular case, or how reality unfolds, it needs an immediate response from the relevant authorities to investigate the issue and hold the management accountable.

Until real action is taken, Pakistan’s real estate market will remain entangled in mistrust, with Capital Smart City’s hypocrisy as a symbol of broken promises.