Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday reacted strongly to the suspension of a bill aimed at resolving long-pending property disputes within 90 days, saying the move would harm ordinary citizens and benefit land grabbers.
In a statement on the suspension of the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Bill 2025, Maryam Nawaz said the legislation was introduced to provide relief to millions of people across Punjab who have suffered for years and even generations due to prolonged property cases.
She said the decision to suspend the law was not in line with established principles set by higher courts. According to the chief minister, the bill was passed by the elected provincial assembly to protect citizens from powerful land mafias and to give people, for the first time, effective legal protection for their rightful land and property.
Maryam Nawaz warned that halting the law would directly benefit the land-grabbing mafia and that the public would view the suspension as support for illegal occupants. She said the law was designed to protect oppressed citizens and that it comprehensively covered both administrative and legal aspects of property disputes.
The chief minister pointed out that land-related cases often remain under stay orders for decades, denying justice to rightful owners. She clarified that the law was not introduced for her personal benefit and that its suspension had caused no personal loss to her.
However, she said the real damage would be suffered by people who have long been victims of land grabbing. She stressed that legislation is a constitutional right of the provincial assembly and cannot be curtailed.
Maryam Nawaz added that stopping the law would not harm her personally, but would adversely affect the poor, helpless, widows and other vulnerable segments of society who were beginning to receive relief under the new legal framework.
