ETPB moves to block new utility connections for illegal occupants in Nankana Sahib

Authorities managing trust properties in Nankana Sahib have ordered a halt to new gas and electricity connections for unauthorized occupants of land belonging to the Evacuee Trust Property Board, part of a broader effort to curb illegal occupation in the religiously significant city.

Documents show that on September 1, the Deputy Administrator of ETPB Nankana Sahib sent separate letters to the regional offices of the two utility providers responsible for gas and electricity supply in the district, formally requesting an immediate stop to new connections on ETPB owned land.

In the letter addressed to the gas utility, the Deputy Administrator explained that numerous ETPB properties across the district are currently under unauthorized occupation, with structures built by individuals lacking valid ownership documents, lease agreements, tenancy records or any other form of lawful authorization. The letter warned that issuing new gas connections to such occupants could inadvertently support their unauthorized presence and create a false impression of legitimate possession over trust owned land. The board requested that no new gas connection or meter be approved unless the applicant can produce documentary evidence verified directly by ETPB.

A similar letter sent to the electricity distribution company made the same request regarding new electricity meters, asking that all applications tied to ETPB land undergo verification of lawful status using ETPB documentation before being processed. Copies of both letters were forwarded to senior officials, including the ETPB chairman, the board secretary, the deputy commissioner of Nankana Sahib and the local police chief.

The move follows a directive issued by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Government Assurances on August 11. Under a specific agenda item concerning government assurances, the committee instructed ETPB management to formally raise the issue of unauthorized utility connections with both gas and electricity providers. The committee also asked the deputy commissioner of Nankana Sahib to submit a report detailing the extent of illegal occupation on ETPB properties and directed the board to provide information on any pending litigation related to the land.

Nankana Sahib holds deep religious significance as the birthplace of Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, and draws thousands of Sikh pilgrims each year from India, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and elsewhere who travel to the city to visit Gurdwara Janam Asthan and other historic religious sites. Officials within ETPB say that protecting the legal status of land surrounding the city’s gurdwaras has become an especially high priority given its international religious profile.

ETPB oversees properties left behind by Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India following partition in 1947, managing a portfolio that includes religious sites, agricultural land, and commercial and residential properties across Pakistan. According to official estimates, the board controls roughly 45,000 acres of agricultural land nationwide, along with thousands of additional commercial and residential properties, giving the combined holdings an estimated market value in the hundreds of billions of rupees and making ETPB one of the largest public landholding institutions in the country.

Within Nankana Sahib specifically, ETPB holds substantial land near gurdwaras and throughout the city’s urban areas, much of which has faced encroachment over the years, with unauthorized construction and residential use reported across several locations. A senior official said that once illegal occupants secure electricity and gas connections, removing them becomes considerably more difficult, which is part of why both the National Assembly committee and ETPB leadership are working to close off that avenue.

The official added that utility connections have historically been used as a tool to lend an appearance of legitimacy to illegal possession, and that the new restrictions are intended to prevent further unauthorized construction while protecting trust properties valued in the hundreds of billions of rupees, particularly given the city’s significance to the global Sikh community.

The directive forms part of a wider zero tolerance policy toward encroachment on ETPB properties, an approach backed by both the federal government and the relevant National Assembly committee. Going forward, the board has stated that any new application for a utility connection on ETPB land must be accompanied by proof of ownership, allotment, lease or tenancy that has been verified by the appropriate competent authority.