OKARA, Aug 19: The Senate's sub-committee on human rights has visited the Okara military farms and talked to the law-enforcement agencies and tenants about the issue.
Headed by Dr Khalid Ranjha, the sub-committee reached the Okara farms' headquarters at 10am. Senator Hameedullah Jan Afridi of FATA and Senator Farhatullah Babar were the other two members. Brig Muhammad Saleem Khan of the Rangers and the military farms administration briefed the team on the situation.
The sub-committee was formed by the Human Rights Committee of the Senate last month when the issue of the tenants of military farms was brought before it in a special session requisitioned by the opposition members of the body.
Dr Ranjha said on this occasion the government was taking the matter seriously. He urged the law-enforcement agencies to treat all the stakeholders without discrimination.
The sub-committee was informed that the tenants of the Okara Military Farms owed Rs133 million and the Renala Military farms Rs19 million to the administration. Besides, the tenants had illegally cut down trees worth Rs20 million on both farms.
They were informed that there was no violation of human rights in the military farm villages and some non-government organizations had exaggerated the issue. District Nazim Syed Sajjad Haider said the tenants were not granted right of ownership about a century ago.
But if they had any document or proof to their claim that they were the actual owners of this land, the issue could be solved, he added. The DPO said investigation of cases against tenants was held in abeyance because the arrest of the 'wanted' tenants was an uphill task.
Later, they saw journalists and sought their opinion on the issue. At Chak 4/4-L, the team met tenants and their families. Eight of the tenants showed them marks of bullet injuries and scars.
They demanded that 'fake' cases registered against the tenants must be withdrawn and they be given the ownership rights of the land they had been cultivating for long. They also demanded that their relatives, who had been removed from jobs, should be reinstated at the earliest.
The senate committee also visited Chak 10/4-L where a group of tenants demanded that the detained tenants must be set at liberty. They also sought release of journalist Sarwar Mujahid.
"We are ready to purchase these lands at lower rates with instalments ranging up to 10 to 15 years," they offered. A couple informed Mr Ranjha that the AMP had illegally occupied their house.
Later, they visited Urdu daily journalist Sarwar Mujahid's house and met his family. Mr Mujahid has been detained under 3 MPO at Sahiwal jail for the last 20 days for reporting about the Okara farms' issue.
