November 2, 2002	Saturday	Sha’aban 26,1423

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LAHORE, Nov 1: Unrest may return to the Okara military farms as the law enforcing agencies have started hounding those booked during the tenants’ movement while the farm management prepares to collect the ‘controversial’ contract money.

The tenants’ movement apparently lost steam when dwellers signed contract forms ‘under protest’ on Sept 20 last and hustings during the recent polls divided them further.

However, the law enforcing agencies may have provided the tenants with a reason to re-group and take up struggle from where it was left in the last week of September.

Three factors could trigger a fresh wave of protests — law enforcing agencies have started arresting people named in 106 FIRs lodged during the campaign, the Pakistan Rangers, which became a symbol of brute power of the state, is still manning the area and the Army Welfare Trust is now demanding the contract money.

On Wednesday, police picked up Munshi Masih, father of Ghani Javed, newly-appointed chairman of the Okara Zone Anjuman Mazareen, in the follow-up of an FIR lodged against him during the movement.

On Thursday evening, tenants of the area reportedly stopped short of blocking the Lahore-Multan road.

There are over 6,000 tenants involved in these FIRs. With more arrests, there is every likelihood of eruption of protest rallies. There are people who have over 10 FIRs lodged against them and they may be spending better part of their remaining life in litigation.

The collection of contract money may also prove an uphill task for the administration. Since it is a civil matter, it may either end up in litigation between farmers and the army or lead to use of state force once again. “Precisely, for this reason, the government has not withdrawn the Rangers lest it has to use force to recover money from the tenants,” says one of the official of the Anjuman Mazareen.

According to him, the government has failed to realise that the presence of the Rangers is a counter-productive act.

“Payment of contract money is a potential source of renewing the crisis,” claims another farmer from the area. People do not have money to pay to the government. The poverty of the tenants had started the trouble in the first place. Had they been able to pay, they could not have resorted to such a painful struggle. Now,they either have to make the payment or get ejected. Both possibilities could cause a fresh wave of trouble in the area’” he said.