LAHORE DIVISION

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan The Lahore High Court, in a significant ruling concerning evacuee trust properties, has declared that trust or evacuee land cannot be reallotted to any individual, institution or organisation. The court further ruled that such land may only be used for public welfare and official purposes. Mr. Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal dismissed a petition seeking the transfer of evacuee trust land during the preliminary hearing and issued a nine page written judgment. The court observed that the laws governing evacuee properties were repealed in 1975 and, as a result, no legal authority now exists to make fresh allotments or grant alternative land to any person. According to the judgment, all evacuee property has become the property of the government. Once such land came under state ownership, neither the Chief Settlement Commissioner nor any board retained the authority to make decisions regarding its allotment. The court further clarified that the government may use evacuee land only for projects serving the public interest. Any allotment of such property in favour of a private individual or institution would have no legal validity. The judgment also stated that any allotment of evacue land made in violation of the law would be considered void from the outset. It added that failure to record an old allotment order in official records within the prescribed period deprives it of legal effect. The petitioner had argued that his grandfather purchased three kanals of land through an open auction in Mailsi in 1960. However, due to his illiteracy and lack of knowledge of legal procedures, the transfer of the land was never entered into the official record. The petitioner had requested the court to direct the Multan commissioner to register the transfer of the land in the government record. The Lahore High Court, however, accepted the arguments presented by the government counsel and ruled that there was no legal basis for registering a land transfer on the strength of repealed laws and decades-old allotment orders. The petition was therefore declared inadmissible and dismissed at the initial stage.

Lahore | ReNews Pakistan The Punjab Land Records Authority has introduced revised service and challan fees for property sale and purchase transactions, land registration and other land record services for the fiscal year 2026 27. According to the new fee schedule, the charge for filing a case in a revenue court has been fixed at Rs 3,500 per case, while the minimum service fee for electronic land registration has been set at Rs 3,600. The revised rates have come into effect immediately. The notification states that copies of land records, including fard, mutation and girdawari documents, will cost Rs 4,000 through the express service, while an ordinary copy will be available for Rs 900. The fee for a Green Property Certificate has been fixed at Rs 800, a specified copy of the land record will cost Rs 5,000 and a certified copy of a registered deed will be issued for Rs 1,400. Banks and other institutions seeking verification of land records will be charged Rs 1,000 for each successful transaction and Rs 700 for every unsuccessful transaction. The fee for mutation through the express service has been set at Rs 11,200, while mutation processed through banks will cost Rs 2,100. The fee for an ordinary mutation has been fixed at Rs 1,200. PLRA has also set a fee of Rs 6,700 for the appointment of a local commission through the e registration system. Under the Property Transfer System, a service charge of Rs 3,000 per transaction has been imposed on property transfers conducted through housing societies and development authorities. Transactions processed through the e registration portal will be subject to a service fee equivalent to 0.1 percent of the land value, with a minimum charge of Rs 3,600. The notification clarified that government taxes and charges will continue to be collected at rates notified by the Punjab Board of Revenue from time to time.

Lahore: [ReNews Pakistan] The Lahore Development Authority has sealed 108 properties during a major operation against illegal commercial use and non payment of commercialisation fees across different parts of the city. The operation was carried out by the LDA Town Planning Wing on the directions of Director General Tahir Farooq in areas falling under the authority’s jurisdiction. Several properties were sealed for violating land use and commercial regulations in Gulberg, New Garden Town, Shadman, Wapda Town and Sabzazar. According to LDA officials, 30 properties were sealed in Gulberg and New Garden Town for illegal commercial use, while action was taken against 23 properties in Shadman and 30 in Wapda Town. During a separate recovery operation, 25 properties in Sabzazar were sealed over non-payment of commercialisation fees. The sealed properties included private schools, grocery stores, cafés, restaurants, food outlets, bakeries, beauty salons, clinics, workshops, shops, offices and other commercial establishments. The operation was conducted under the supervision of Chief Town Planner One Asaduz Zaman and Chief Town Planner Two Azhar Ali, with multiple enforcement teams carrying out action in the identified areas. LDA Director General Tahir Farooq said indiscriminate action against illegal commercial buildings and commercial fee defaulters would continue. He stressed that violations of urban development regulations and the unauthorised commercial use of residential properties would not be tolerated.