Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. SCREENGRAB
LAHORE:
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has approved the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Ordinance 2025 to deal with those who encroach upon properties.
Chairing a meeting, she said no one would now snatch anyone’s land in Punjab as the state would stand by every weak person like a mother. She added that whoever owns a property, has a right to possess it. She highlighted that for a common man, a small property or land is like the whole universe, but unfortunately a mafia encroaches upon it. To rein in the land mafia in Punjab, she approved the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Ordinance.
The chief minister decided to establish Dispute Resolution Committees for the petitioners who have been going to courts for years to reclaim their land.
She highlighted that every case of property possession in Punjab will now be decided by Dispute Resolution Committees in 90 days. An appeal against the decision of a Dispute Resolution Committee will be heard by a special tribunal headed by a retired high court judge who will also be bound to decide the appeal within 90 days.
It was decided in the meeting to establish a Dispute Resolution Committee in every district of Punjab under the new ordinance.
The chief minister was informed that under the new system in Punjab, a Dispute Resolution Committee will resolve an issue of possession of private property before going to court.
Officials said that in order to provide speedy justice to the people of Punjab who have been awaiting court decisions for years, the Dispute Resolution Committees will decide every such case within 90 days.
The convener of each six-member District Settlement Committee will be the deputy commissioner, while the district police officer (DPO) and other officials will also be involved. The meeting set a target of making the Dispute Resolution Committees functional within 30 days.
The Dispute Resolution Committees will be bound to recover land from the encroachment mafia within 24 hours after the decision on the case. The meeting reviewed a recommendation to employ the Punjab Employment and Regulatory Authority (PERA) force to recover land from those who have encroached on public property.