SWAT: The residents of 13 villages in Kabal tehsil declared here on Sunday that they would not give any portion of their land for the planned extension of cantonment.

They pledged to resist any such attempt by the government. They took the decision in a jirga, convened by elders and organised by local social organisation Sama Laar. Hundreds of people including MPA Sultan-i-Rom, Sher Shah Khan, Sultan Ali Khan, Riaz Ahmad, Sultanat Khan, Zahid Khan, Imran Khan and Rashid Ahmad Swati attended the jirga.

They said that a large portion of their land had already been acquired over the years for projects like airport, cantonment, bypass and Swat Expressway. Now, they said, the state was seeking additional residential and agricultural lands for extension of cantonment.

The local elders recalled that several years ago, approximately 6,000-kanal of land was taken for the cantonment by invoking Section 4, with the government compensating them at a rate of just Rs250 per square foot.

They said that the rate was far below the market price, which stood at around Rs1,700 per square foot for residential land and Rs25,000 per square foot for commercial areas. They added that many locals felt that their land had been forcefully seized.

Jirga pledges to resist any move of forcible eviction by govt

They said that 13 villages including Ningolai, Bara Bandai, Koza Bandai, Dherai, Kanju, Dangram, Mamdherai, Soondherai, Ghwareja, Delay, Dughalgo, Sigram, Lalo Bandai, Kamar Banda, Malooka, Jutkot, Rana and Khan Tangey would be impacted by the proposed extension of cantonment.

Villagers said that those lands were the only source of livelihood for many, which they were unwilling to sacrifice. “If government insists to seize our land, we are prepared to sacrifice our lives rather than surrender our homes and farmlands. We are deeply rooted in this land and we have no intention of leaving,” they added.

The participants of the jirga voiced fears of displacement, saying that there was insufficient land in Swat to accommodate more than 45,000 people, who would be affected. “We don’t want to become refugees in our own land. If forced to leave, we would rather die on our land than be driven away,” they said.

They said that any attempt by state to forcibly evict them would be met with strong resistance.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2024