- Law aimed to resolve property disputes within 90 days: CM.
- Suspension seen as relief for organised land grabbers: CM.
- Provincial assembly’s legislative authority strongly defended.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday criticised the Lahore High Court’s decision to halt the implementation of the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Ordinance, 2025, warning that the move would be perceived by the public as backing the “land-grabbing mafia”.
In a statement, CM Nawaz said the provincial government had enacted the law to provide long-awaited relief to millions of citizens who had suffered for years, and even generations, due to protracted property disputes.
She noted that the legislation introduced a strict 90-day timeline for the resolution of land and property cases that otherwise linger for decades.
“The elected provincial assembly passed this law to free ordinary citizens from the grip of powerful land mafias,” the chief minister said, adding that the ordinance empowered people for the first time to protect their legally owned land and property.
The chief minister maintained that the suspension of the law did not harm her personally or politically, but would instead affect the poor, widows, the helpless and the oppressed segments of society who had finally begun to receive justice under the new framework.
She stressed that lawmaking was the constitutional right of the provincial assembly and could not be curtailed.
She further argued that the court’s decision was not in line with well-established judicial principles, cautioning that halting the law would directly benefit illegal occupiers. “The public will see this suspension as support for the qabza mafia,” she said.
A day earlier, the Lahore High Court temporarily halted the implementation of the ordinance during hearings on petitions filed by Abida Parveen and others, challenging its legality.
The proceedings were presided over by Chief Justice Aalia Neelum, who removed procedural objections to the petitions and recommended the formation of a full bench to hear the matter.
The court also ordered the repossession of properties that had been allocated under the suspended law.
The Punjab government had promulgated the ordinance to protect lawful property owners and ensure swift remedies against illegal occupation.
Under the law, Dispute Resolution Committees, headed by deputy commissioners, and property tribunals, chaired by former or serving district judges, were empowered to resolve disputes and take administrative action.
The ordinance also criminalised illegal possession of immovable property, prescribing five to ten years’ imprisonment and fines of up to Rs1 million.
