OKARA, Feb 24 Eight tenants, six of them women, suffered minor injuries when the Okara military farms administration used 'strong-arm tactics' against them at Chak 15/4-L on Wednesday.

Reports said the military farms administration, assisted by the police, started razing four houses of tenants who immediately assembled there and put up resistance. The police and the tenants clashed by pelting each other with stones, with the former also resorting to baton-charge of the protesters.

An Anjuman-i-Mazareen spokesman, Altaf, claimed eight tenants -- Khalida Bibi, Naik Bibi, Naziran Bibi, her namesake, Rani Bibi, Kausar Bibi, Abdur Rehman and himself, all residents of 15/4-L, were injured. He said the police also did aerial firing and teargas shelling.

Both parties, however, agreed on negotiations over the issue on Thursday (today) at the District Police Office. Cantonment police SHO Mushtaq Sindhu said no policeman was injured.

PM'S VISIT The district administration is on its toes to prepare itself for the prime minister's visit here on Sunday.

State Minister for Information Syed Samsaam Ali Shah Bokhari has invited the premier to Karmanwala Sharif (Okara) to participate in the Urs of the local saint, Syed Muhammad Ismail Shah Bokhari (RA).

The prime minister is also expected to visit Qadirabad (Sahiwal district) to inaugurate a power house which has been built with the cooperation of China. It is learnt that Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Manzoor Wattoo is eager to invite the prime minister to his Deepalpur constituency.

The district administration has alerted the police and the PPP's Muhammad Ashraf Sohna, Chaudhry Sajjadul Hassan and Muhammad Arif Chaudhry have started mobilising the party workers to make the prime minister's visit a success.