Ghulam Ali Leghari, a tenant, cultivated a piece of land owned by Leemon Junejo for 20 years in Sinjhoro taluka of Sanghar district. Junejo’s son, Mumtaz, evicted Leghari in 2013 after his father’s death.

Leghari’s counsel says his name was on the revenue department’s record (Form VI) that enables him to seek recourse from the assistant commissioner who heads the tribunal under Sindh Tenancy Act 1950. The tribunal is a primary judicial forum for the protection of haris’ rights.

“A hari is considered a permanent tenant under the law if he has cultivated a piece of land for a period of not less than two years,” Leghari’s counsel Housh Mohammad says.

The tribunal declared him a hari, but did not allow the settlement of his accounts for cultivating Junejo’s land. Leghari then approached the office of the collector (deputy commissioner), which is the appellate authority to seek the settlement of accounts. The collector’s office also upheld the tribunal’s verdict. He has been fighting his case in the Sindh High Court for the last three years.

Leghari is now displaced along with his family members as, according to him, the landowner attacked his house on Jan 23, 2015. He also faces criminal cases registered at the behest of his tormentors, he says.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, October 1st, 2018