| Citation(s) |
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| 2026 SLG 1209 2026 SLD 1209 = 2026 LHC 2786 |
Lahore High Court
W.P. No.31439 of 2025
Presented By: (ASIM HAFEEZ) JUDGE
Date of hearing: 10.02.2026. Petitioners by: Mr. Muhammad Shan Gul, M/s Barrister Muhammad Umar Riaz, Waqar A. Sheikh, Advocate, Obaid Ullah, Rana Rehan, Muhammad Amin, Ch. Abdul Majid and Mian Najam-us-Saqib, Advocates for the petitioners. Mr. Waqar A. Sheikh, Advocate for petitioner in connected petition. M/s Shaikh Zulqurnain and Amna Iqbal, Advocates for petitioners in connected petitions. M/s Waseem Ahmad Gujjar and Rana Shahzad Khalid, Advocates for petitioner in connected petition. Ch. Haroon-ur-Rasheed, Advocate for petitioners in connected petitions. Mian Shahzad Siraj, Advocate for petitioners in connected petitions. M/s Ch. Abdul Gaffar and Ch. Muhammad Saleem Kambo, Advocates for petitioners in connected petitions. M/s Ch. Muhammad Sarwar, Usama Zubair and Hassnain Moawia, Advocates for petitioners in connected petitions. M/s Saeed-ur-Rehman and Sanobar Zaib, Advocates for petitioners in connected petition. Rao Qasim Ali Khan, Sajjad Saleem Khan, Muhammad Nadeem Beryar, Komal Tariq and Sajid Hussain Qureshi, Advocates for petitioner in connected petition. Mian Asif Mumtaz, Advocate for petitioners in connected petitions. Mr. Shabbir Hussain Chattha, Advocate for petitioners in connected petition. Mr. Tariq Hussain, Advocate for petitioner in connected petition. Mr. Najam-us-Saqib, Advocate for petitioner in connected petition. Mr. Muhammad Amin Sial and Ali Imran, Advocates for petitioner in connected petition. Malik Abbas Farooq, Advocate for petitioner in connected petition.
Respondents by: Mr. Waheed Alam, Assistant Advocate General. M/s Barrister Aizaz Malik and Ahmad Nisar, Advocates for respondent No.6 in W.P. No.46623/2023. Zafar Abbas, Superintendent, Board of Revenue, Punjab, Lahore. Dr. Muzaffar Iqbal, Assistant, Board of Revenue, Punjab, Lahore.
W.P. No.31439 of 2025
Presented By: (ASIM HAFEEZ) JUDGE
Date of hearing: 10.02.2026. Petitioners by: Mr. Muhammad Shan Gul, M/s Barrister Muhammad Umar Riaz, Waqar A. Sheikh, Advocate, Obaid Ullah, Rana Rehan, Muhammad Amin, Ch. Abdul Majid and Mian Najam-us-Saqib, Advocates for the petitioners. Mr. Waqar A. Sheikh, Advocate for petitioner in connected petition. M/s Shaikh Zulqurnain and Amna Iqbal, Advocates for petitioners in connected petitions. M/s Waseem Ahmad Gujjar and Rana Shahzad Khalid, Advocates for petitioner in connected petition. Ch. Haroon-ur-Rasheed, Advocate for petitioners in connected petitions. Mian Shahzad Siraj, Advocate for petitioners in connected petitions. M/s Ch. Abdul Gaffar and Ch. Muhammad Saleem Kambo, Advocates for petitioners in connected petitions. M/s Ch. Muhammad Sarwar, Usama Zubair and Hassnain Moawia, Advocates for petitioners in connected petitions. M/s Saeed-ur-Rehman and Sanobar Zaib, Advocates for petitioners in connected petition. Rao Qasim Ali Khan, Sajjad Saleem Khan, Muhammad Nadeem Beryar, Komal Tariq and Sajid Hussain Qureshi, Advocates for petitioner in connected petition. Mian Asif Mumtaz, Advocate for petitioners in connected petitions. Mr. Shabbir Hussain Chattha, Advocate for petitioners in connected petition. Mr. Tariq Hussain, Advocate for petitioner in connected petition. Mr. Najam-us-Saqib, Advocate for petitioner in connected petition. Mr. Muhammad Amin Sial and Ali Imran, Advocates for petitioner in connected petition. Malik Abbas Farooq, Advocate for petitioner in connected petition.
Respondents by: Mr. Waheed Alam, Assistant Advocate General. M/s Barrister Aizaz Malik and Ahmad Nisar, Advocates for respondent No.6 in W.P. No.46623/2023. Zafar Abbas, Superintendent, Board of Revenue, Punjab, Lahore. Dr. Muzaffar Iqbal, Assistant, Board of Revenue, Punjab, Lahore.
Muhammad Din (deceased) through legal heirs, etc.
VERSUS
Province of Punjab, etc.
Law: Constitution of Pakistan, 1973
Section: 4,25
Law: Colonization of Government Lands (Punjab) Act, 1912
Section: 10
Summary This judgment by Justice Asim Hafeez decides multiple connected constitutional petitions challenging the Punjab Government Notification No. 2107-2019/754-CL(I) dated 13.09.2019 (as amended in 2020) issued under the Colonization of Government Lands (Punjab) Act, 1912. The petitioners were lessees of government land and claimed entitlement to proprietary rights, arguing that the inclusion of their lands in “prohibited zones” was illegal, retrospective, and discriminatory. The core dispute was whether the Notification defining “prohibited zones” (within which proprietary rights cannot be granted) was lawful and whether it violated constitutional protections like Articles 4 and 25. Tagline “Government can redefine eligibility zones for land ownership—no vested right exists in changing municipal boundaries for proprietary claims.” ORDER; ASIM HAFEEZ, J. This and connected constitutional petitions, identified in annexed Annex-A hereof, are heard and decided collectively in wake of commonality of grievance(s) against restrictive conditions and exclusions prescribed under Notification No.2107-2019/754-CL(I) dated 13.09.2019 [published on 18.09.2019 and amended vide Notification No.2366-2020/78-CL(1) dated 20.10.2020] (hereinafter referred as the Notification (71 of 2019). It is pertinent to mention that petitioners, in some petitions, had asked for injunctive directions against conduct of auctions and directions for continuity of leases but scope of this judgment is limited to the extent of deciding the constitutionality of the Notification (71 of 2019). By way of background, the Notification (71 of 2019) was issued in exercise of powers under section 10 of the Colonization of Government Lands (Punjab) Act 1912 (Act, 1912), which contained statement of conditions for grant of proprietary rights with respect to the state land(s), subject to the exclusions of such leased land(s), referred to as the prohibited zone(s) for the purposes of this judgment. For clarity, the prohibited zone(s) is that area, defined under Clause 3(c) of the Notification (71 of 2019), which is…