LAHORE – For decades, powerful political figures, local goons, and influential groups thrived on illegally grabbing land in Lahore, and parts of Punjab, leaving ordinary citizens helpless.
Those days are over as Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz declared an all-out war on land grabbers, approving Punjab Protection of Ownership of Movable Property Ordinance 2025, a sweeping new law that promises to end decades of fear, fraud, and illegal land occupations across the province.
Under this revolutionary ordinance, every landowner will be the sole protector of their property rights, and no one will ever be able to illegal take over of another person’s land again. The law introduces rapid, three-tier justice mechanism designed to crush the land mafia’s influence once and for all.
Dispute Resolution Committees (DRCs) will be set up in every district within 30 days to handle land possession disputes before they even reach court. Each case must be resolved within 90 days, ensuring swift and decisive justice.
Any appeal against committee’s decision will go to a special tribunal, led by a retired High Court judge, which will also be bound to give its verdict within 90 days. Once a verdict is announced, the land will be recovered from the mafia within 24 hours, no delays, no excuses.
To make crackdown airtight, Punjab government is also considering dedicated para-force to execute recovery operations with military precision. Meanwhile, digital land records and live-streaming of proceedings on social media are being explored to guarantee complete transparency and public oversight.
CM Maryam Nawaz said days of land mafias are over: “No one in Punjab can now dare to grab another person’s land. The state stands shoulder to shoulder with every weak and wronged citizen. Whose ownership it is, that’s whose right it will remain. The chapter of land mafias is closed forever.
This landmark step is being hailed as one of most powerful property rights reforms in Punjab’s history, signaling a new era of justice, accountability, and empowerment for rightful landowners.
