Protection of Communal Properties of Minorities Ordinance, 2001

This 2001 Ordinance (formally promulgated as Ordinance No. V of 2002) protects properties belonging to Pakistan's religious minority communities that are used for communal purposes, by restricting their sale or transfer. Section 2 defines "property" broadly to include places of worship, monasteries, seminaries, vicarages, dharamshalas, gaoshalas, burial places, community centers, and social welfare, educational, health, and recreational institutions meant for communal use -- along with any attached buildings, vacant land, residences, or offices.

Section 3 is the central rule: no such minority-community property meant for communal use can be bought, sold, or transferred by anyone without a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Federal Government, which is granted on the recommendation of the National Commission for Minorities. An exception exists for property bought, sold, or transferred as part of a government-approved Housing Scheme meant for a minority community.

Section 4 clarifies that the Ordinance does not apply to evacuee trust properties already governed by the Evacuee Trust Properties (Management and Disposal) Act, 1975.

Section 5 sets out the punishment for violating the sale/transfer ban: imprisonment of up to seven years, a fine of not less than one hundred thousand rupees, and the sale or transfer transaction itself is legally void. Section 6 allows the Federal Government to issue orders removing any difficulty in implementing the Ordinance, and Section 7 gives it power to make further rules.

This is a relatively recent ordinance (2001/2002) with specific penalty figures stated directly in the extract text -- up to seven years' imprisonment and a minimum fine of one hundred thousand rupees -- which appear reliable as written, though readers should still confirm no later amendments have changed them.