LAHORE: Punjab will review “duplication of laws”, as for decades the legislative framework in the province has continued to expand without any meaningful consolidation or systematic review, resulting in a complex web of overlapping and outdated laws that increasingly burden governance, administration and the public alike.

“Following the concerns expressed by the opposition lawmakers, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan has directed the law department and parliamentary law reforms committee to take up the matter of duplication, ineffectiveness, redundancies and no-applicability of laws,” a government official told Dawn on Friday. He said the speaker also acknowledged this issue on the floor of the house and issued directions in this respect.

“This is a serious matter and should be taken up by the law reforms committee and the law secretary for removal of this anomaly,” the speaker was quoted as having said.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers have raised this matter, saying several provincial laws regulate identical or substantially similar subjects, creating contradictions, administrative confusion, and unnecessary litigation across departments.

Obsolete colonial-era laws will also be put to scrutiny

“In many sectors, different statutes and regulatory mechanisms operate simultaneously, often empowering multiple authorities over the same matter. This duplication not only weakens institutional clarity, but also opens the door to arbitrary interpretation and misuse of authority. Citizens, businesses and even government officials frequently struggle to determine which law prevails, leading to delays in implementation, conflicting decisions, and rising legal disputes before the courts,” PTI senior lawmaker Rana Aftab Ahmad said.

For example, he said, the matters relating to local governance, encroachments, municipal regulation and urban management are frequently dealt with under multiple laws, simultaneously, including the Punjab Local Government Act, development authority laws, municipal regulations, and special administrative notifications.

“As a result, overlapping jurisdiction between local governments, deputy commissioners, development authorities, and special agencies often creates uncertainty regarding enforcement powers and accountability,” he added.

Similarly, the lawmaker said the environmental regulation in Punjab was governed through a combination of provincial environmental statutes, local government regulations, industrial rules, and sector-specific administrative directions. “Businesses and industries often face inspections and compliance requirements from several authorities operating under parallel legal frameworks. Legal experts argue that such duplication discourages investment and creates unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles,” he said

Another major concern is the continuation of outdated colonial-era laws and procedural frameworks that remain in force despite significant constitutional and administrative changes. Numerous regulatory provisions still reflect governance models designed for centralised colonial administration, rather than a modern democracy.

Opposition lawmakers Sardar Muhammad Ali Khan, Zulfiqar Bhatti and Ahmad Bhatti said that these obsolete laws contribute to excessive discretionary powers, procedural delays, and administrative inefficiency.

They said questions also arise regarding the increasing creation of special authorities and parallel institutions through separate legislation, while similar functions are already being performed by the existing departments. Instead of strengthening existing institutions, new authorities are often established with overlapping mandates, separate enforcement powers, and independent administrative structures, resulting in duplication of public expenditure and institutional confusion, they said.

The lawmakers further noted that contradictory provisions of various provincial laws frequently become the subject of prolonged litigation before the courts.

“In many instances, one department acts under a special law, while another relies upon a separate statute governing the same subject, forcing courts to repeatedly interpret questions of jurisdiction and legislative intent,” Rana Aftab said. “This not only burdens the judiciary, but also delays relief for ordinary citizens,” he added.

He said that growing legislative overlap therefore raise broader constitutional and governance concerns.

He maintained that excessive duplication of laws contribute to regulatory overreach, unnecessary bureaucratic expansion, and inconsistent enforcement mechanisms.

“In several cases, separate authorities and departments exercise parallel powers under different laws on the same subject, creating confusion regarding jurisdiction and accountability. There is now increasing demand for the Punjab Law Department to undertake a comprehensive legislative audit to identify obsolete statutes, contradictory provisions, and overlapping legal frameworks currently operating in Punjab,” said Rana Aftab.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2026