Call to give priority to existing tenants in land auction

LAHORE:The provincial government has been asked to safeguard the rights of farmers by devising a policy to give first right to the existing tenants/lessees to continue the cultivation of land in Toba Tek Singh. Senior Member Revenue Board has cancelled the allotment of government’s agricultural land allotted to farmers and the Toba Take Singh DCO is going to auction the land, said Khalid Mahmood Khokhar, president, Pakistan Kissan Itehad (PKI), here on Sunday.

This agricultural land has been cultivated by the growers for years by paying the tenant fee prescribed by the government, he added. More than 80,000 growers have invested lots of resources and time to make the barren pieces of land cultivable, thus, contributing to national development and growth.

Many of such growers have invested in infrastructure development, buildings, tube-wells, electrification and leveling of land, he observed. Pakistan Kissan Itehad would like to safeguard the rights of rightful farmers, the PKI president said.

“I strongly suggest that a policy be devised to give the existing tenants/lessee as first right to continue the cultivation, however, the defaulters and those who sub-let may be treated with an iron hand.”

In view of this, it is requested to the authorities to direct the District Coordination Officer concerned to postpone the forthcoming auction and initiate suggested

exercise, Khokhar said, adding the Pakistan Kissan Itehad would cooperate and support the government.

UN asked to declare Modi terrorist: Pakistan Jamhoori League chief Rana Zaman Saeed has demanded the United Nations to declare Indian forces and Narendra Modi terrorists and said that the time has come for the Muslim Ummah to get united under the leadership of Pakistan.

The Pakistan Army under the leadership of Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa will crush all the intentions of India.

Talking to his party members, including Secretary General Sohail Ahmed, Secretary Zahid Hameed Gondal and Dr Atif, on Sunday, Rana Zaman Saeed said that the time has come for the United Nations to declare Indian forces and Modi terrorists and to immediately liberate Kashmiris from Indian occupation. He said “Pakistan is facing many challenges nowadays but we are all together. We have to make Pakistan strong and prosperous.”