Punjab govt to give women inheritance right in property: minister

TOBA TEK SINGH: Punjab government will soon make a new law to ensure inheritance right of women in their parents’ property.

The law will enable women not to get record their statement before the revenue officers or give written consent before them regarding the transfer of property share in favour of their parents or brothers, said Ashfaq Fatyana, provincial minister for women development.

Addressing a press conference at Kamalia on Sunday, she said that her ministry had been given this task and its experts had prepared a bill of the proposed law which had been sent to the provincial cabinet for final approval.

She said that previously Punjab Land Revenue Act was amended in 2012 and later in 2015, which safeguarded the women’s rights in the inheritance and land ownership. The revenue officers were bound to transfer the share of women in their names but their parents or brothers often put pressure on them to record their statement before the revenue officers or give written consent through an affidavit that they wanted to transfer their share to their parents or brothers, she explained.

Ms Fatyana said that once the inherited property would be transferred to the women then they would be able to enjoy its ownership rights for at least half to one year period. After that period, they will be able - after formation of the new proposed law -to transfer their share to their parents or brothers.

Talking about the increasing robbery incidents and accidents on Rajana-Chichawatni Highway Road, she said that Punjab Police IG Amjad Javed Saleemi gave approval of setting up a new highway patrolling police post near Kamalia at Sarfraz Chowk when he was the additional IG and in-charge of the Punjab Highway Patrolling Police but it could not be implemented. She said that she had recently held meetings with the highway patrolling police officials at Lahore and the construction of buildings had been ordered in this regard.