A private member’s bill has been submitted to the Punjab Assembly seeking major changes to inheritance laws for Christians, including equal inheritance rights for legally adopted children.
The Punjab Christian Succession Bill 2026 was submitted by Philbos Christopher, chairman of the Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Minority Affairs. It seeks to replace the century-old legal framework currently governing Christian inheritance with legislation specifically designed for the community.
Christopher said the existing law dates back to 1925 and also applies to Jains, Parsis and Buddhists. He said a separate framework was needed to address the specific inheritance requirements of Christians.
Under the proposed law, the property of a deceased Christian man or woman would be divided equally among their children. Legally adopted children would have the same inheritance rights as biological children.
The bill also proposes equal distribution of property among children from different marriages, including step-siblings, in cases involving remarriage.
If a person dies without leaving a will, a surviving widow would receive one-third of the estate, while the remaining property would be distributed among other eligible heirs.
If the deceased leaves no children, the widow would receive half of the estate along with other eligible relatives. If there are no children or other legally recognized relatives, the entire estate would pass to the widow.
The same inheritance rights would apply to a surviving husband if his wife dies without leaving a will.
The bill also provides that children would inherit equal shares of the estate. If a child dies before the deceased, that child’s descendants would inherit the share their parent would have received.
The proposed legislation also sets out rules for wills, allowing mentally competent adult Christians to determine how their property should be distributed. Wills obtained through fraud, coercion or undue pressure would be considered invalid.
The bill also seeks to simplify the process of obtaining succession certificates and letters of administration by allowing applicants to approach NADRA or a competent civil court.
Christopher said the proposed law could benefit around 2.5 million Christians living in Punjab by strengthening their inheritance rights.
He said the legislation reflects Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s vision for protecting minority rights and could encourage other provinces to introduce similar laws.
As a private member’s bill, it is expected to be formally introduced in the Punjab Assembly during its next session before being referred to a committee for examination.
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