Governor Punjab, Sardar Saleem Haider Khan. PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE:
Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan has promulgated two ordinances aimed at reforming land administration and strengthening protection of property rights in the province.
The governor exercised his powers under Article 128(1) of the Constitution to promulgate the Punjab Land Revenue (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, and the Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026.
Officials said the amendments are designed to promote digitalisation, innovation, transparency and accountability in land administration, with the stated objective of facilitating landowners and curbing long-standing disputes.
Under the amended land revenue law, land partition will now be carried out along with the transfer of possession and ‘mesne profit’.
Reforms have also been introduced in the appeals and review processes. The ordinance allows summons, notices and public announcements to be issued through electronic and digital means, while a legal procedure has been laid down for land demarcation and the eviction of illegal occupants.
A key feature of the reform is the introduction of a mandatory e-registration system for land transfers, making all transfers digital.
The role of patwaris has been restricted to hereditary transfers only, while the authority to remand cases to lower courts has been vested exclusively in the Board of Revenue.
The governor also promulgated the Immovable Property Ownership Protection (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, replacing the existing dispute resolution committee with a more empowered scrutiny committee. The new committee will include the deputy commissioner, district police officer, additional deputy commissioner (revenue), assistant commissioner, s7b-divisional police officer, circle revenue officer and the officer-in-charge of the relevant police station.
The amended law enhances penalties for illegal possession of property, prescribing imprisonment ranging from five to 10 years and fines of up to Rs10 million, or both.
