Handing over of agricultural land to army worries PBC

Says ‘illegal practice’ not acceptable to people of Pakistan

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) has expressed serious reservations over the handing over of thousands of acres of agricultural land to the Pakistan Army by the caretaker Punjab government in different districts of the province.

A notification issued by the PBC, on Monday, stated the “illegal practice of donating of public resources to the army is neither justified nor acceptable to the people of Pakistan”.

The council referred to a purported notification by the GHQ Land Directorate on March 10 which said that 45,267 acres of agricultural land had been handed over to the Pakistan Army in different districts of Punjab.

The PBC demanded that the “illegal notification” regarding the issuance of agricultural land to the army be “withdrawn immediately”, warning that in case of failure to do so, it would it would approach the relevant court.

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Earlier, reports stated that the caretaker Punjab government had signed an agreement to hand over at least 45,267 acres of land in three districts — Bhakkar, Khushab, and Sahiwal — of Punjab to the Pakistan Army for ‘Corporate Agriculture Farming’.

Sources maintained that the provincial government would provide the land while the army will utilise its resources and retain the management of the project. It was said that the private sector would invest and provide auxiliary support, including the supply of fertilisers.