OKARA, May 17: Military farms area remained tense on Tuesday also as the members of the Anjuman-i-Mazaraeen Punjab blocked the Shahbore Link Road and staged a sit-in about 100 yards from the GT Road and railway track, demanding immediate release of two arrested tenants. Reports said hundreds of tenants, including women, blocked the road near 11/4L village and demanded the release of the arrested tenants, Saleem and Latif.

Tenant leader Abdul Sattar Chaman alleged while talking to Dawn that police had illegally detained Latif under 3MPO at Sahiwal central jail. Similarly, he said, Saleem had been missing for the last four days.

It is learnt that the tenants from 45/3R, 13/4L and 4/4L villages have announced to continue with the sit-in till the release of their two fellow tenants.

On the other hand, acting DPO Adnan Amir, when contacted, said that police was not a party to the conflict, but it was duty-bound to maintain law and order and the violators, whosoever, would be dealt strictly according to the law.

The DPO claimed that Saleem had been arrested for his alleged involvement in some cases registered against him.

The law-enforcing agencies’ personnel are witnessed patrolling on the GT Road and along the railway track to meet any untoward situation. The police and Rangers’ extra strength has also been summoned.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that to diffuse the increasing tension between the tenants and law-enforcing agencies, Defence Minister Rao Sikander Iqbal and some other local political figures have decided to hold a meeting on May 21, to decide the issue of providing alternative lands to the tenants along with other civic facilities.