Okara Military Farms dispute settled

ISLAMABAD: The National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) on Thursday disposed of the case of Okara Military Farms while advising the farmers to pay Batai as agreed during negotiations and Millitary Farms administration to refrain from harassment or psychological torture.

In a statement issued by the NCHR, the commission says that the agreement was reached on points, including end to harassment of farmers, withdrawal of criminal cases, writing off the Batai arrears and payment of Batai to the Military farms.

“After discussion and deliberations and hot pursuits of several years, the points mentioned above are closest to amicable resolution. The only condition for the tenants is to pay Batai and if they do the Okara Military Farms are committed to the rest of the points as was declared by the commandant during the deliberations before the commission.

The statement says that on January 30, 2017, the deputy commissioner, Okara, submitted a report. The report, in paragraph 5, mentioned that the district administration under the supervision of the Sahiwal commissioner and instructions issued by the committee constituted under the chairmanship of Provincial Minister Zakat and Ushr Nadeem Kamran to address various issues of tenants in Punjab took up the matter afresh, and all out efforts were made to work out possibility of compromise and reconciliation.

It further says that series of meetings and interactive sessions were organised by the District Administration with Aman Group of Muzareen and other stakeholders to resolve all impending problems through table talk. In the first place, those miscreants and saboteurs who were not the real Muzareen and were found involved in various anti-state activities were identified. The exercise in hand significantly contributed in restoring writ of the state, thereby paving the way for prospects of a breakthrough.

Deputy commissioner Okara’s report says that the efforts thus resulted in the recently negotiated peace agreement of Muzareen. The agreement was signed by the Commandant Military Farms Group Okara and Chief representatives of Muzareen, including Nadeem Hussain, Shahadat Hussain, Pervaiz, Iftikhar, Muhammad Riaz, Muhammad Shehzad, Afzal and Arshad Shahid witnessed by DCO Okara and DPO Okara.

The NCHR says that the Commandant Military Farms almost agreed to the aforementioned points for ending the dispute. The tenants, however, remain obliterate on the issue of who is to receive the Batai, the Government of Punjab or the Military Farms itself. It was also their case that they should be considered as owners of the property having remained tenants for a lifetime and through generations.

The commission takes the stand that regarding the claim of ownership, the tenants are free to agitate this before the Board of Revenue, Government of Punjab. “However, as long as the land vest in the Government of Punjab which is accepted by the military farms and the provincial government has no objection to the payment of Batai to the military farms, the tenants cannot withhold the Batai before the ownership of the land is mutated on their names.

The commission further says that the representatives of the tenants twice sought time for consulting their colleagues and in replying to the points aforementioned. The counsel Salman Akram Raja also sought time for a written reply which was never received by the commission.