AMONG the laws that helped the British gobble up large swathes of land during their time in the subcontinent was the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. It has remained in vogue all these years. If the government believes that a particular patch of land is required for public utility, it can do so by confis-cating the property.

The really oppressive part of the Act is that it allows any company to demand any property for establishing its business. The process is simple. One has to have a company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP). And then to ‘convince’ the relevant official to issue a notice to the land owners to set the ball rolling. It takes only a few thousand rupees to have the SECP registration, and what it takes to ‘convince’ the relevant official depends on a few aspects that are too obvious to deserve a narration here.

I personally know a number of people who were forced to vacate their valuable land, house and shop in this very manner.

Parliament and Supreme Court must hold a legal discourse on the issue, and either amend or abolish this brutal law altogether in the name of sanity, instead of carrying on with this colonial legacy.

Name withheld on request
D.I. Khan

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2023