Governor of Punjab, Sardar Saleem Haider Khan. PHOTO: ARCHIVE
LAHORE:
Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan 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 Property 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 aim of facilitating landowners and curbing long-standing disputes.
According to the amended land revenue law, land partition will now be carried out along with transfer of possession and “mesne benefit”.
Reforms have also been introduced to the appeal and review processes. The ordinance allows summonses, notices and public announcements to be made through electronic and digital means, while establishing a legal procedure for the demarcation of land and the eviction of illegal occupants.
A key feature of the reform is the introduction of a mandatory electronic registration system for land transfers, making all transfers digital.
The role of patwaris has been restricted to hereditary transfers only, while the authority to refer cases to lower courts has vested exclusively in the Board of Revenue.
The governor also enacted the Immovable Property Ownership Protection (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, replacing the existing dispute resolution committee with a scrutiny committee with more powers. The new committee will consist of deputy commissioner, district police officer, additional deputy commissioner (revenue), deputy commissioner, s7b divisional police officer, circle revenue officer and officer-in-charge of the police station concerned.
The amended law increases penalties for illegal possession of property, prescribing imprisonment of five to ten years and fines of up to Rs 10 million, or both.
