Islamisation of Land Reforms: The Case of Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan is the only Islamic country to impose a ban on land reforms following a split judgment (3-2) by the Supreme Court’s Shariat Appellate Bench (SAB) on August 10, 1989. This decision has led to divided opinions among judges, religious clerics, politicians, and academics, with arguments for and against it drawn from Islamic sources such as the Quran and the Hadith. The landlords resisted reforms to protect their power, but the reasons behind the clerics’ opposition remain unclear. In this context, this research study aims to examine and analyse land reforms in Islamic principles, the discussions surrounding land reforms in Pakistan, land reforms in other Islamic countries, and the classification of land reforms as un-Islamic in Pakistan. These questions are answered through qualitative content analysis of primary and secondary archival data. The analysis suggests that land reforms are not un-Islamic, as stated by the SAB in its 1989 ruling. It is essential to revisit this judgment to eliminate landlordism, redistribute land to cultivators, increase productivity, reduce poverty, and address the food crisis.