LAHORE:The Minorities Collective Properties Protection Bill 2026 has been submitted to the Punjab Assembly. The bill was tabled by PMLN MPA Philbous Christopher, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Minority Affairs of the Punjab Assembly.
According to this bill, legislation will be enacted to ensure the protection of collective properties belonging to all minority communities residing in the province. An empowered Provincial Action Committee will be established under the new law. The Chairperson of the committee shall be a minority MPA nominated by the Chief Minister.
According to this Bill, the Secretary of Human Rights and Minority Affairs and the Secretary of Law and Parliamentary Affairs shall be members of the committee. Additionally, the SMBR and the DIG Police, Punjab, will also serve as members.
Six individuals from minority communities, including one woman, will also be included in the committee. The empowered Provincial Action Committee will compile and maintain a record of all collective properties of minorities across the province.
It will monitor encroachments, illegal occupations, and misuse of such properties. The committee will also provide recommendations to the government regarding matters of sale, transfer, and lease of these collective properties. It will facilitate minority communities in matters relating to their collective properties.
Under the proposed law, no collective property may be sold, transferred, leased, or mortgaged without prior govt approval. Any sale, transfer, lease, or related transaction carried out without government permission will have no legal validity.
Properties acquired through government grants, public funds, donations from philanthropists, charitable contributions, joint donations, foreign funding, or funds collected for the welfare of minorities will also be considered collective properties. No individual shall claim exclusive ownership of any collective property. Any collective property currently registered in the name of an individual must be transferred to the status of collective property within six months of the enactment of the law.
According to the bill, any person found guilty of selling, transferring, or leasing minority collective properties unlawfully may face imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine of up to one hundred thousand rupees.
Meanwhile, minority community representatives and civil society members have welcomed the introduction of Bill.Senator Khalil Tahir Sandhu, minority rights activist Shahid Rehmat termed the move a positive and timely initiative to prevent misuse and encroachment of communal properties.
