MULTAN, Sept 12: Tenants and their children brought out protest processions in their respective villages on the Okara military farms to show their determination not to compromise on their struggle for ownership rights against their tenancy lands.

Separate processions were organized in Chak Nos 9/4L, 5/4L, 24/4L and 12/4L. These villages are said to be the strongholds of Anjuman Mazareen Punjab (AMP) while Chak 12 is a village from where the military farm authorities are claiming success viz-a-viz their campaign to get signed the lease contract.

The processionists alleged that the military farm authorities were forcing the tenants at gunpoint through rangers and police to sign the lease contract, abandoning their tenancy rights.

When contacted, AMP president Chaudhry Abdul Jabbar said the struggle for ownership rights had always been strong in villages 5, 4, 9, 10, 8, and 24 and claimed that none of the tenants of these six villages had signed contracts despite enormous pressure and coercive tactics of law enforcers.

He said in villages 45, 12 and 13 the management had forcibly got thumb impressions of some of the tenants while Chak Nos 15, 25, 18, 17 and 20 were already working under the Cantonment authorities on lease basis.

He alleged the farm authorities could gather only 200 tenants to present them before the Rangers’ chief on Wednesday during his visit of Okara while rest of the gathering comprised military dairy farm employees and baildars.

He said a number of tenants would soon move the court of law against the authorities for getting their status changed as lessees from tenants under coercion.