Lahore Division

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan The Lahore High Court has ruled that the mere registration of a property document does not automatically establish all facts associated with it, while a land mutation entry serves as a fiscal record and does not, by itself, confer ownership. The court emphasised that a party asserting rights over a property must prove its own title. Justice Muhammad Sajid Mahmood Sethi issued the 11-page judgment on a petition filed by Abdul Waheed Khan. The court partially set aside the decisions of the subordinate courts in Khanewal, remanding the dispute concerning one of five properties to the appellate court for a fresh hearing. The decisions concerning the remaining four properties were upheld. The judgment identified shortcomings in the appellate court’s assessment of the evidence and documents. The high court observed that although the appellate court had referred to the documents in its decision, it had failed to provide substantive reasons supporting the conclusions drawn from them. It directed the court to examine the relevant documents and issue a reasoned judgment. Clarifying the legal status of registered documents and land mutations, the court held that registration alone could not be treated as proof of every related fact. A mutation entry, being a fiscal record, does not automatically establish a person’s ownership rights. The high court further observed that a legal presumption may apply to documents that are 30 years old. Where the identity of a disputed property is unclear, a local commission may be appointed to resolve the ambiguity. On the inclusion of necessary parties, the court directed that an opportunity must be provided to bring any missing necessary party into the proceedings before dismissing the suit on that ground. The court ordered the parties to appear before the relevant appellate court on October 26, 2026, and directed it to endeavour to decide the remanded matter within three months.

Lahore | Riaz Hussain ReNews Pakistan Significant progress has yet to be established in Punjab’s drive to inspect private school buildings and enforce building fitness certificate requirements. Despite the announcement of safety measures, the number of dangerous or dilapidated buildings remains unclear, raising questions about implementation beyond paperwork. It remains unknown how many private school buildings have undergone technical inspections, how many have been declared unsafe and how many institutions have faced enforcement action. The lack of consolidated official figures has left the status of the government’s building audit campaign uncertain. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif ordered the audit several months ago following two successive school roof collapse incidents in Lahore that resulted in children’s deaths. The Punjab School Education Department’s official Private Education Provider Registration and Information System (PEPRIS) lists a building fitness certificate among the documents required for both new private school registrations and registration renewals. While this confirms the certification requirement, its inclusion alone does not establish that all private school buildings have undergone a fresh safety audit. Effective implementation requires inspections and verification. According to information reported in July 2026, the School Education Department approached the Communications and Works Department to inspect private school buildings and issue fitness certificates. The initial plan covered approximately 3,500 private schools in Lahore, with the exercise subsequently intended to extend across Punjab. However, the Communications and Works Department proposed engaging independent third-party engineering consultants instead of assuming responsibility for issuing the certificates. The department maintained that many private schools operate from rented premises, residential properties or buildings used for other purposes, where approved engineering designs, evidence of compliance with construction standards and complete technical documentation are unavailable. These concerns highlighted the need for formal assessments of structural integrity. Under a policy reported on July 18, private schools were permitted to obtain building fitness certificates from civil engineers or engineering firms registered with the Pakistan Engineering Council. The School Education Department directed deputy commissioners and chief executive officers of district education authorities to ensure implementation. The instructions stipulated that no private school would be registered without a valid building fitness certificate. Earlier, the Lahore Education Authority directed private schools to arrange immediate safety inspections of their buildings, classrooms, roofs, boundary walls and main gates. According to a July 2 report, schools operating from dilapidated or unsafe premises were also instructed to suspend teaching activities until fitness certificates were issued. The safety instructions included improving drainage, preventing rainwater accumulation and inspecting electrical wiring and equipment. At the district level, a July 7 report from Multan cited a preliminary survey indicating that approximately 25 per cent of school buildings were dilapidated. It also identified weak roofs in some buildings and deficiencies in fire protection, emergency exits and other safety arrangements. However, the report did not provide the total number of institutions inspected, a school by school list or the original technical assessment. The percentage therefore cannot be applied to private schools across Punjab. The overall position regarding action against unsafe buildings also remains unclear. Although instructions exist to suspend teaching in dangerous premises and obtain fitness certificates, the government has yet to provide consolidated details of how many private school buildings have been demolished, how many institutions have been closed or relocated, and how many have been given time to undertake repairs. The absence of these figures has fueled concerns that the audit process may have slowed or stalled, although the lack of publicly available data alone does not establish that inspections have stopped.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan The Punjab government has approved amendments to the rules governing private housing societies, introducing requirements for plot cancellations, scheme applications, development work and the management of completed societies. The revised framework requires housing societies to notify allottees before cancelling their plots. Notices must be delivered through the Housing Society Management System as well as registered mail, establishing formal communication requirements before cancellation proceedings. Under the amendments, allottees must be given at least two opportunities to pay overdue plot instalments before their allotments can be cancelled. The rules also address cancellations arising from unpaid development charges. Housing societies cannot immediately cancel plots over outstanding development payments and must issue at least two notices before proceeding with cancellation. For the approval of housing projects, applications for both new schemes and revisions to existing schemes must be submitted through a centralised digital system. The requirement brings both categories of applications under a common submission process. The amendments also set a maximum residential plot size of five marlas in low-cost housing schemes. Housing societies undertaking illegal development work will face daily fines ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000. The revised rules further make it compulsory for electricity, internet and other utility lines to be installed underground. Once development work has been completed, a seven-member management committee will oversee the society’s affairs. The committee will comprise four representatives of residents and three representatives of the project sponsor, giving residents a majority in its composition. The changes establish requirements covering the approval and development of private housing schemes, safeguards for allottees facing cancellation, and resident representation in the management of completed societies.