LAHORE – Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court Justice Aalia Neelum has designated 36 incumbent Additional District and Sessions Judges to preside over property rights tribunals across Punjab, accepting a formal request from the Implementation and Coordination Wing of the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) seeking judicial oversight of immovable property ownership disputes in the province.
According to a notification issued by the Directorate of District Judiciary, the designations were made with the approval of Chief Justice Aalia Neelum. The designated judicial officers will function as tribunals for their respective districts to hear and decide matters arising under the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Ordinance, 2026 – a law aimed at protecting ownership rights in immovable properties across the province.
Under the ordinance, obtaining or retaining property through fraud, forgery or force carries rigorous imprisonment of five to ten years and fines of up to Rs10 million. Under Section 11 of the ordinance, the government may establish tribunals for speedy adjudication of such cases, while the high court is empowered to designate judicial officers to perform the functions of these tribunals.
Upon receipt of a complaint, the tribunal is required within three days to refer the matter to a deputy commissioner-led committee for probe, scrutiny and facilitation of an amicable resolution, with the committee mandated to submit its report within 30 days.
The ordinance was introduced to provide a dedicated legal mechanism for addressing disputes relating to illegal occupation, fraudulent transfers and other violations affecting ownership of immovable property.
It may be recalled that Chief Justice Aalia Neelum had on December 22 last year suspended the operation of the law, taking notice of powers entrusted to revenue officials – commonly known as patwaris – to take cognisance of matters already pending before courts.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had criticised the court’s decision, contending that suspension of the law would benefit the land mafia. Lawyers’ bodies, irrespective of political affiliation, had supported the high court’s position.
The provincial government subsequently introduced amendments to the law, following which the high court recalled the stay order and referred pending petitions to the relevant sessions judges. The present designations follow directly from that legislative and judicial course correction.
The 36 designated Additional District and Sessions Judges and their respective districts are as follows: Nadeem Ahmad Sohail Cheema (Attock), Muhammad Salabat Javed (Bahawalnagar), Sahir Islam (Bahawalpur), Muhammad Azam Javed (Bhakkar), Naeem Abbas (Chiniot), Qasim Ali Bhatti (Chakwal), Sarfraz Hussain (Dera Ghazi Khan), Imran Shafi Khan (Faisalabad), Muhammad Farhan Nabi (Gujranwala), Muzaffar Nawaz Malik (Gujrat), Umar Rasheed (Hafizabad), Umer Farooq Khan (Jhang), Mirza Aurangzeb Khan (Jhelum), Muhammad Ashfaq (Kasur), Abdullah Usman (Khanewal), Muhammad Bashir (Khushab), Muhammad Ayyaz (Lodhran), Saifullah Sohal (Lahore), Muhammad Pervaiz Nawaz (Layyah), Muhammad Fakhir Aftab Ahmad (Mandi Bahauddin), Abdul Ghafoor (Mianwali), Ghazala Yasmeen (Multan), Muhammad Ahmad Husnain Khan (Muzaffargarh), Alam Shair (Narowal), Ahmed Mujahid Sherdil Cheema (Nankana Sahib), Khalil Ahmad Khan (Okara), Asad Hafeez (Pakpattan), Chaudhry Qasim Javed (Rawalpindi), Muhammad Ashraf (Rajanpur), Muhammad Bilal (Rahim Yar Khan), Muhammad Naeem (Sahiwal), Abid Raza Khan (Sialkot), Hafiz Abdul Hameed (Sheikhupura), Zafar Hayat (Sargodha), Muhammad Kashif (Toba Tek Singh) and Muhammad Umar (Vehari).
The designation of district-level tribunals is expected to facilitate expeditious resolution of property ownership disputes and operationalise the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Ordinance, 2026 at the grassroots level.
