Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday reacted strongly after the Lahore High Court halted the implementation of a key provincial law, saying Maryam Nawaz Slams LHC Stay on Punjab Property Law and warning that the decision will be seen by the public as indirect backing for land-grabbing mafias. In her statement, she said the move undermines long-awaited relief for ordinary citizens trapped in endless property disputes.
The chief minister said the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Ordinance, 2025 was introduced to address the suffering of millions who have spent years, and in many cases generations, fighting land and property cases. She said the law offered a clear and time-bound mechanism, introducing a strict 90-day deadline for resolving disputes that usually drag on for decades. Maryam Nawaz Slams LHC Stay on Punjab Property Law, she added, because it directly weakens the rights of lawful owners.
Maryam Nawaz said the elected Punjab Assembly passed the ordinance to break the hold of powerful qabza groups that prey on citizens with limited resources. She said for the first time, ordinary people gained real legal protection to safeguard land and property they rightfully own. According to her, the ordinance shifted power away from illegal occupiers and returned it to citizens who had long been denied justice.
She clarified that the suspension of the law does not harm her personally or politically. Instead, she said, it hits the poorest sections of society hardest, including widows, the helpless, and the oppressed, who had finally started seeing results under the new legal framework. She stressed that legislation is a constitutional right of the provincial assembly and cannot be curtailed without strong legal grounds.
The chief minister also questioned the legal basis of the court’s order, saying it runs contrary to established judicial principles. She warned that halting the ordinance directly benefits illegal occupants and sends the wrong message. She said the public will inevitably view the suspension as support for the land-grabbing mafia rather than protection of lawful owners.
A day earlier, the Lahore High Court temporarily stopped the enforcement of the ordinance during hearings on petitions filed by Abida Parveen and others who challenged its legality. The proceedings were presided over by Chief Justice Aalia Neelum, who removed procedural objections and suggested the formation of a full bench to hear the case. The court also ordered the repossession of properties that had been allocated under the now-suspended law.
The Punjab government had promulgated the ordinance to ensure swift remedies against illegal occupation and to protect lawful owners. Under the law, Dispute Resolution Committees led by deputy commissioners and property tribunals chaired by former or serving district judges were empowered to resolve cases and take administrative action. The ordinance also criminalised illegal possession of immovable property, prescribing prison terms of five to ten years along with fines of up to Rs1 million.