Punjab Assembly to take up ordinance against land grabbing tomorrow

2026-02-23 - 14:43

LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly will take up on Tuesday (February 24) the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property (Amendment) Ordinance 2026, which is aimed at curbing land grabbing and fast-tracking property disputes. The ordinance was on the agenda for Monday’s session but could not be tabled due to a lack of quorum. The amended ordinance, promulgated on Feb 17, introduces jail terms of up to 10 years and fines up to Rs10 million for the illegal possession of immovable property, while mandating that cases be decided within 30 days. It amends the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Act, 2025 — operation of which was suspended by the Lahore High Court last year — to strengthen protection for lawful owners and streamline adjudication through newly empowered district-level tribunals. Under the ordinance, a key structural reform is the establishment of the Punjab Property Tribunal in each district, to be presided over by a serving additional sessions judge, with exclusive jurisdiction to try offences under the Act and determine questions of title. The tribunal is required to proceed on a day-to-day basis and conclude cases within 30 days of receiving a report from the scrutiny committee, limiting adjournments to no more than seven days at a time. Under the previous law, retired sessions judges were to be appointed to