CHARSADDA: Fear and panic gripped the area after deployment of a heavy contingent of police and FC to evict tenants from a land in Ijara village of tehsil Tangi here on Wednesday.

Several leaders of tenants were also arrested. The district administration ordered deployment of police and FC to implement the orders of court in a case between landlords and peasants in Ijara village.

On one hand all parties jirga was trying to find out a peaceful solution to the dispute while on the other the landlords were bent on to take control of the 200-kanal disputed land with the help of police and FC, sources said.

The tenant women and children have been on roads to stage protest against what they call use of force against them. However, the district administration has started arrest of tenant leaders.

It merits a mention here that tenants had reportedly set on fire two tractors of the landowners and besieged their houses in Shamalai Hashtnagar to resist their forced eviction by police and FC on Monday.

The local administration is trying to implement Peshawar High Court’s decision to evict tenants from the land of Akram Jan Khan and Hashim Jan Khan. However, local jirga members decided to sort out the issue amicably.

It was decided at that time that Khadim Shah Afridi would represent the tenants while district nazim Fahad Azam would represent the landowners to reach a final decision.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2018