Draft:Shamlat in Pakistan
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Shamlat (Urdu: شاملات), commonly referred to as "shamlat deh"Italic text, denotes village common land in Pakistan that is traditionally reserved for collective use by residents of a village. Such land has historically been used for grazing livestock, collecting fuelwood and fodder, accessing water sources, and accommodating other communal needs. In academic literature, shamlat land is frequently described as a form of common property resource, governed through customary norms rather than individual ownership, though its legal status has been the subject of persistent dispute and reinterpretation.[1][2]
Definition and Historical background
[edit]The term shamlat originates from Persian and Punjabi usage referring to land held jointly by a community. Under pre-colonial and colonial land administration systems, shamlat deh was recorded as land reserved for collective village purposes rather than private cultivation. While colonial revenue settlements formally classified such land, they generally allowed customary practices to govern its day-to-day use.[3]
After independence, Pakistan retained much of the colonial land administration framework. Although shamlat land continued to be recognized in land records, post-colonial governance introduced new ambiguities regarding whether such land vested in village communities, local government institutions, or the state.[4]
Shamlat as a Commons
[edit]In development and anthropological scholarship, shamlat land is classified as a **common-pool resource**, distinct from both private property and open-access land. Access to such land is typically restricted to members of a defined village community, and use is regulated through locally recognized rules and norms.[5]
Studies of communal land regimes in northern Pakistan have documented that traditional systems of collective management often balanced subsistence needs with conservation objectives, challenging assumptions that commons are inherently prone to over-exploitation.[6]
Livelihoods and Subsistence
[edit]Shamlat land has long played a role in sustaining rural livelihoods. Common uses include livestock grazing, collection of fuelwood and fodder, harvesting of reeds and grasses, and access to water sources for domestic and agricultural purposes. These functions are particularly significant for landless households and small farmers, for whom commons provide an important supplement to income and food security.[7]
Ecological research from Punjab has shown that shamlat areas surrounding protected forests are often subject to heavy grazing pressure, reflecting their importance to pastoral livelihoods, while also highlighting risks of environmental degradation where management institutions weaken.[8]
Use by Women
[edit]Women in rural Pakistan rely extensively on shamlat land for tasks shaped by gendered divisions of labor, including collecting fuelwood, fodder, water, and raw materials for household production. Research on women's land and resource access indicates that although women rarely hold formal ownership rights over land, customary access to commons has historically been a critical livelihood resource.[9]
However, women's access to shamlat land is typically mediated through customary and kinship-based norms and is therefore vulnerable to restriction when commons are privatized, enclosed, or reclassified as state land.[10]
Regional variations in Pakistan
[edit]The use and governance of shamlat land vary across regions:
Punjab: Shamlat land is most extensively documented, commonly used as village pasture or uncultivated common land. Media reports have highlighted disputes involving alleged fraudulent transfers and encroachments.[11]
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern areas: Communal land systems often overlap with forest and rangeland management, where customary institutions historically played a stronger regulatory role.[12]
Urban and peri-urban areas: In regions surrounding Islamabad and Murree, shamlat land has increasingly been absorbed into real estate development, generating conflicts over displacement and compensation.[13][14]
Types of Shamlat
[edit]Academic and policy literature identifies multiple categories of village commons, including:
- Shamlat deh: Village-level common land
- Village pastures: Land primarily reserved for grazing
- Communal forests and rangelands: Often overlapping with shamlat, particularly in hilly regions
Social forestry studies identify shamlat land as a major category of communal land whose deterioration is frequently linked to weak management institutions and unclear tenure arrangements.[15]
Controversies and disputes
[edit]Shamlat land has been the subject of recurring disputes involving alleged land grabbing, administrative reclassification, and state appropriation. Investigative reporting in Pakistan has documented cases where developers and influential actors acquired land previously used as commons, often undermining community access.[16][17]
In Murree and its outskirts, expansion of tourism and real estate has intensified disputes over shamlat land, resulting in evictions and protests by affected residents.[18][19]
Comparable controversies have been reported in Indian Punjab, where courts have addressed fraudulent encroachments and clarified ownership claims over shamlat land, reflecting shared colonial land administration legacies across the region.[20][21]
Shamlat in South Asia
[edit]Village commons analogous to shamlat exist throughout South Asia, particularly in Pakistan's eastern neighbour India, where shamlat deh has been more clearly codified under state land laws. Comparative studies note that despite differences in legal frameworks, common lands across the region face similar pressures from privatization, state acquisition, and erosion of customary governance institutions.[22]
See Also
[edit]- Commons
- Common-pool resource
- Land tenure in Pakistan
- Social forestry
References
[edit]Baig, M. B., Ahmad, S., Khan, N., Ahmad, I., & Straquadine, G. S. (2008). *The history of social forestry in Pakistan: An overview*. **International Journal of Social Forestry, 1**(2), 167–183.
Chaudhry, A. A., Hameed, M., Ahmad, R., & Hussain, A. (2001). Phyto-sociological studies in Chhumbi Surla Wildlife Sanctuary, Chakwal, Pakistan. **International Journal of Agriculture & Biology, 3**(4), 363–368.
Dawn. (2012, January 15). *Developers crush rights in land-grab rush*.[23](https://www.dawn.com/news/858212)
Dawn. (2018, April 15). *Land mafias tighten grip on Pakistan's commons*.[24](https://www.dawn.com/news/1400590)
Hindustan Times. (2018, October 31). *Common or shamlat land belongs to owners, says Punjab and Haryana High Court*.[25](https://www.hindustantimes.com/)
Malik, A. S. (2009). Village panchayats' common lands: A study of their institutional framework in Haryana State. **International Journal of Rural Management, 4**(1–2), 237–252.[26](https://doi.org/10.1177/097300520900400213)
Mumtaz, K., & Noshirwani, M. M. (2013). *Where there is land, there is hope: Women's inheritance and land rights in Pakistan*. Shirkat Gah – Women's Resource Centre.
Mumtaz, S., & Nayab, D. (1992). The rationale of common property in the development context. **The Pakistan Development Review, 31**(3), 259–285.
Pakistan Today. (2021, October 10). *In Murree's outskirts, real estate gold lies squandered—or does it?*[27](https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/)
The Express Tribune. (2021, January 12). *Murree affectees told to move relevant quarters*.[28](https://tribune.com.pk/)
Times of India. (2019, March 18). *Punjab villages see fraudulent grabbing of shamlat land*.[29](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/) </ref>
References
[edit]- ^ Mumtaz & Nayab, 1992
- ^ Baig et al., 2008
- ^ Mumtaz & Nayab, 1992
- ^ Baig et al., 2008
- ^ Mumtaz & Nayab, 1992
- ^ Mumtaz & Nayab, 1992
- ^ Mumtaz & Nayab, 1992
- ^ Chaudhry et al., 2001
- ^ Mumtaz & Noshirwani, 2013
- ^ Mumtaz & Noshirwani, 2013
- ^ Times of India, 2019
- ^ Mumtaz & Nayab, 1992
- ^ Dawn, 2012
- ^ Tribune, 2021
- ^ Baig et al., 2008
- ^ Dawn, 2012
- ^ Dawn, 2018
- ^ Tribune, 2021
- ^ Pakistan Today, 2021
- ^ Hindustan Times, 2018
- ^ Times of India, 2019
- ^ Malik, 2009
- ^ https://www.dawn.com/news/858212
- ^ https://www.dawn.com/news/1400590
- ^ https://www.hindustantimes.com/
- ^ https://doi.org/10.1177/097300520900400213
- ^ https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/
- ^ https://tribune.com.pk/
- ^ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
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