DERA GHAZI KHAN, May 6: A team of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Wednesday visited the Jampur tehsil, Rajanpur district, where hundreds of acres of agriculture land has allegedly been acquired by the Legharis by intimidating farmers.

The team led by Rashid Rahman and local HRCP representative Advocate Aslam Rasoolpuri visited the area to take stock of the situation on the request of local farmers. The team met dozens of 'victims' who alleged that their wheat crop had also been taken away by the manager of Farooq Leghari and his son Awais Leghari.

One of the victims, Malik Mushtaq, said Farooq Leghari and Awais were taking agriculture land forcibly from small farmers of four mauzas - Khanwah, Rakh Khanwah, Dingora and Basti Bakhsh - with the connivance of the district and tehsil administrations.

He alleged that some 14 farmers of Rakh Khanwah were arrested by the Jampur police for resisting the forcible evacuation, but they obtained a court order for their release.

The farmers alleged that the police were still providing help to the manager in pressing them to evacuate the land or sell the same at throwaway prices. They claimed that no one other than the Legharis could buy land in these mauzas as the revenue department did not accept any deed or provide necessary record.

Mushtaq said he had filed applications with the district coordination officer, the deputy district officer (revenue) and the tehsildar for demarcation in these four mauzas so that legal landholdings could be identified, but the authorities ignored his request.

According to farmers, the Leghari had grabbed 26,250 acres in Khanwah and 330 acres in Basti Bakhsh. The Jampur police station muharrar admitted before the HRCP team that the police had picked up many people in this regard.

The team also met the circle officer concerned of the revenue department who said he had not received any such complaint of land-grabbing.

Later, the officer told Dawn that the record of these mauzas was missing, while the consolidation process of the land had yet to be completed. Meanwhile, the HRCP and the local farmers association will stage a rally in Jampur on May 10 to protest land-grabbing by the Legharis.