Lawmakers in Pakistan’s Punjab province are set to deliberate on a proposed measure that seeks to protect the properties of religious minority communities.
According to a report by the Vatican’s Fides News Agency, the draft legislation, titled the “Protection of Minority Community Properties Bill 2026,” has been submitted to the Punjab Assembly for consideration in its next session.
Prepared by the Assembly’s Standing Committee on Minority Affairs, the bill aims to safeguard not only places of worship such as churches and temples, but also land, buildings, schools, and institutes acquired through government grants, public funds, donations, and charitable contributions.
The proposal is backed by a majority aligned with the current provincial government, increasing the likelihood of its passage.
Under the bill, a special committee would be established to oversee the protection of minority-owned properties throughout Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province.
The body would compile a comprehensive inventory of such properties, monitor cases of illegal occupation and misuse, and provide recommendations to the government on their administration. It would also assist minority communities in resolving related legal disputes.
Father Qaisar Feroz OFM Cap, parish priest in Lahore, the provincial capital, and spokesperson for the Pakistani Bishops’ Conference, said the measure addresses long-standing grievances.
“This bill seems right to us; it addresses an important issue: many properties, such as schools, buildings, and land, were nationalized in the past and are still state-owned or illegally occupied by Muslims who use them for private purposes. If the law helps to recognize and protect our rights, it would be a positive sign from the government authorities,” he told Fides.
“As a Christian community, we ask for protection and assure our full cooperation with the police,” he added, noting that the protection of churches by security personnel, especially during major religious holidays, is also a welcome measure.
Christians comprise about 1.5 percent of Pakistan’s predominantly Muslim population. Many minority-run schools and institutions were nationalized in 1972 under the government of then-Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.
Minority representatives have also reported cases of illegal occupation of properties, which they say have limited their cultural and religious presence in some areas of the province.
