SAHIWAL: Landless tenants have decided to resist the takeover of their 4,193 kanal land at Muhammad Nagar Seed Farm at Chak 163/EB, tehsil Arifwala, saying they were the fourth generation of farmers cultivating the land legally and litigation in higher judiciary is going on against the cancellation of their lease and transfer of their land to a corporate farming company.

They say they have been cultivating the land since 1928 and if this land is to be leased out, they have the first right to it and their land must not be handed over to ‘the private company’ for so-called corporate farming.

A resolution was passed in a joint meeting called by Anjuman Mazareen Punjab, (Mahar Ghulam Abbas Group) and representatives of Pakistan Kisan Rabta Committee (PKRC) held at Chak 163/EB on Friday.

More than 250 tenants and representatives of the AMP from Kot Addu, Sahiwal, Hasilpur, Vehari, Jahanian, and Kahnewal, attended the meeting.

Qamar Abbas and Hussain Jamil from the PKRC as well as Mahar Ghulam Abbas, Shamoon Bhatti, Akbar Jutt from the AMP condemned the Punjab government’s highhandedness and recent actions where tenants’ land in different areas of Punjab was awarded to private companies in the name of corporate farming.

Pass resolution to stand their ground; ‘3,979 kanals leased to firm for Rs100,000’

On other hand, Lahore High Court on Nov 5 transferred writ petition of tenants against govt and others to the court of Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza who is already hearing a writ petition of the same nature.

Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf and M. A. Ghafarul Haq, the counsel for tenants, told Dawn the next hearing would be held on Nov 11.

The cases were filed by the landless tenants whose lease was cancelled by the Board of Revenue and 3,979 kanals of the same land was leased to M/s Green Corporate Initiative Private Limited for just Rs100,000 lease agreement.

Ashraf, the counsel for tenants, informed Dawn by phone the land lease case was going on between tenants and the Punjab government, secretary Colonies, secretary Agriculture, director general Agriculture, Punjab, DC, Pakpattan and manager Muhammad Nagar Seed Farm.

On other hand, the situation remained calm and none from the administration or police intervened with tenants’ gathering on Friday.

The situation was tense when a stand-off occurred between 700 police cops and 1,000 tenants of the farm on Nov 3. Report said an escalation started when 700 policemen with 60 vehicles, including a prison van, invaded Muhammad Nagar and started to vacate a 100-year-old land allocated to 34 landless farmers families in 1928 under the Colonization of Government Land Act, 1912.

Since then, 34 landless tenants’ families have been cultivating the said piece of land. Now the village tenants’ population had gone up to 1,200 with fourth-generation cultivating the same land.

Election Commission of Pakistan data shows around 775 registered voters enlisted as registered voters in Muhammad Nagar Seed Farm.

It is learnt Pakpattan Deputy Commissioner Sadia Mehar ordered the vacation of the land which is allocated to the Green Corporate Initiative Private Ltd under the Land Acquisition Act 1884. On that day, police leveled the land with tractors and destroyed the standing crops of wheat, mustard and fodder.

Report said police used heavy machinery and leveled standing crops at six Kanals owned by Muhammad Akram and Ali Muhammad Gujjar.

Ashraf, the counsel for tenants, said the land transfer record data showed out of total 4,193 kanal, 3,979 kanal and 10 marla land in tehsil Arifwala, owned by Colonies Department, had now been transferred on lease to the Green Corporate Initiative Private Limited under certified registry No. 44620240001881 at the rate of Rs100,000 on 05/09/2024.

Those who address the farmers’ gathering include Chaudhry Akram, Sharif Siyal, Mulazam Hussain Baloch, Riaz Ahmed Baloch, Chaudhry Usman Ghani, Muhammad Shakeel, Muhammad Abid and Muhammad Ikhlaq, convener AMP Muhammad Nagar.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2024