Land, Law and Legacy: Exploring the Educational Effects of Colonial Land Policies and Present-Day Property Disputes

Abstract

Using a qualitative approach, this study identifies and explores the determinants of land litigation in Pakistan. Interviews and focus group discussions with a wide range of key stakeholders were used to collect data, including additional district collectors, deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners, tehsildars, patwaris, lawyers, and revenue officers. Qualitative content analysis revealed ten key themes that play a major role in land disputes during colonial land grants and the zamindari system. Such themes include the inherited history of conflicts, land record tempering, the absence of land reforms, power dynamics in villages, disputes over patriating properties, systems left by the colonial era, opposition to land redistribution, the elite land-owning class, land ownership concentration, and evictions of indigenous communities. The results give an overall understanding of the complex interplay of these determinants and provide a perspective to mitigate the issues related to the land dispute over colonial land grants and the zamindari system. The outcomes of this study will also be valuable for educational institutions and training centers that provide education and professional training to land revenue officers and judicial officers.