Pakistan, May 2 -- There is a peculiar contradiction at the heart of Pakistan's economy. In a country starved of investment, plagued by low productivity, and perpetually negotiating with lenders, trillions of rupees sit frozen-untouched, unproductive, and celebrated. This capital is not hidden in offshore accounts or complex financial instruments. It is visible, fenced, advertised, and proudly owned. It lies in plots.

Across Pakistan, from the expanding peripheries of Lahore to the speculative zones of Islamabad and the congested urban sprawl of Karachi, land has become the most preferred store of wealth. Not for building, not for industry, not even for rental yield-but for holding. A plot is not seen as a means of production; it is a sy...