On December 26, 2025, Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Aalia Neelum overturned the decisions of multiple Dispute Resolution Committees (DRCs) led by Deputy Commissioners (DCs) that had granted property possession across 10 districts in Punjab. The ruling came during a high-profile hearing against the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Act 2025, a law recently enacted by the Maryam Nawaz administration to fast-track land dispute resolutions within 90 days. Justice Neelum suspended the enforcement of the DRCs’ possession orders and referred the petitions to a soon-to-be-constituted full bench.
Lahore High Court Chief Justice Alia Neelam issues a temporary stay on the Punjab 2025 Property Ownership Protection Act, suspending all confiscation decisions, while sharply criticizing potential abuse of power.#Pakistan #Judiciary pic.twitter.com/OWJZ8rNJ5W
— PakistanToday (@today_paki9) December 22, 2025
The court asserted that DCs and revenue officials lack the judicial authority to remove or restore property possessions on their own, especially when such matters are already pending before civil courts.
The legislation was designed to dismantle “land mafias” by bypassing traditional civil litigation, allowing for property recovery within 24 hours of a committee’s order. However, Chief Justice Neelum remarked that the law effectively “dismantled the civil setup” and undermined judicial supremacy, noting that even high-profile residences like Jati Umra could theoretically be vacated without due process under such broad powers.
While Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz defended the law as a vital tool for protecting vulnerable citizens, bar councils have endorsed the court’s intervention, calling the Act an unconstitutional attempt to create a parallel judicial system run by the bureaucracy.
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