MULTAN, Dec 4: The Anjuman Mazareen Punjab has criticized the defence minister on reiterating the stance of Okara Military farms management regarding the tenants struggle to get ownership rights.

In a press statement issued here on Wednesday, Anjuman senior vice-president Dr Christopher John rejected the statement of Defence Minister Rao Sikandar Iqbal that the tenants would be compensated through a development package.

He said the Anjuman had already made it clear that the tenants of the 21 state-owned agricultural and livestock farms would not compromise on their demand for proprietary rights against the tenancy of lands they had been cultivating for nearly a century.

Dr John claimed that the residents of 19 villages voted Mr Iqbal when he promised during the electioneering that he would ensure ownership rights to them.

“He has not only defected his party but he has also betrayed the military farm tenants to secure a slot in the federal cabinet,” he added.

He said the so-called relief and developments package had previously been announced by the Rangers DG and the Punjab governor but only to deny the tenants their ‘rightful’ claim over the lands under their occupation.

He said the Hirajs of Khanewal had also betrayed the tenants of Peerowal farms of the Punjab Seed Corporation.

He said Rao Sikandar should keep in mind before speaking that the tenants of Peerowal refused to listen to the ‘all powerful’ Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool when he tried to convince them that the relief package was a better choice than that of the demand for ownership rights.

Dr John said the tenants were determined to fight a long war to get ownership rights. He said the Anjuman was organizing a convention in Lahore on Dec 10 “to make it clear that nothing would deter them from demanding ownership rights.