September 24, 2008	Wednesday	Ramazan 23, 1429

MIRPURKHAS, Sept 23: Sindh Farmers Organisations Council Chairman Javed Ahmed Junejo has apprehended that provincial government’s programme to distribute state land among landless peasants will fail if the officials do not pay their attention to properly execute this plan.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, he said mostly the government land were already in possession of the waderas and influential landlords in the province.

He alleged that revenue officials were working day and night to change the Khata of the government lands after taking bribe from landlords following announcement of the government to distribute the government lands among landless peasants.

He said that since formation of Pakistan, waderas had occupied the government land as they have been bringing the poor peasants and women on front posing them as deserving for government land whose khatas afterwards were changed in the names of wadera and landlords.

He said that if same practice continued, the government’s programme to distribute land among landless peasants would be meaningless.

He said that in Mirpurkhas district, there were 900 acres of government land, which were mostly in possession of the waderas and influential landlords, and same was the situation in the entire province.

He alleged that in Pano Aqil, khatas of 8,000 acres of government land had been transferred in the favour of ex -Sindh chief minister in the past which were now in his complete possession.

He feared that landless Haris would not get benefit of this programme unless the government functionaries took complete interest to make this programme successful.