OKARA, May 15: The representatives of the Anjuman Mazareen Punjab (AMP) and officials of a security agency agreed on Tuesday to a formula which would be whetted on Thursday to resolve the military farms crisis.
Tension gripped the villages 11/4 L, 12/4 L and 15/4 L when construction of a three-kilometre-long boundary wall around the Okara cantonment was started around a week ago for security purposes.
It is learnt that it was decided in the meeting that the agency would not carry out construction activity on Wednesday (today) and the tenants would not gather at the site for protest. On Thursday, the leaders of the AMP and the officers of the agency would gather in the garden of village 15/4 L and the proposals discussed on Tuesday would be finalised.
Later, two colonels of 4 Depot who represented the agency in the dialogues, said in a press conference that the construction of boundary wall and check posts for security purpose was the need of the hour in the wake of worsening law and order situation in the country.
They clarified that the agency had never assured AMP leaders that the work on check posts would be abandoned.
However, they said they were ready to give alternative agricultural land against the lands which would fall within the boundary wall.
They said the wall alignment was not final and it could be redesigned according to the proposals of the tenants’ leaders.
They said some time back it was finalised that the alternative land situated in Mauza Pipli Pehar, Deepalpur, would be given to the tenants and 800 kanals residential colony would be developed near the district courts complex but the tenants’ leaders later on denied this agreement.
They said the Pipli Pehar land programme was final and the Punjab chief minister would announce the project at an opportune time.
They denied insulting tenants’ women.
They asked tenants to pay lease amount of the military farms land as they were not owners of the land.
AMP leaders who attended the meeting included Mehr Abdul Sattar, Allah Ditta, Emanuel Masih, Mukhtar Masih, Younis Iqbal and Aslam Baloch. MPA Ashraf Khan Sohna was also present on the occasion.
Earlier, tension persisted in the tenants’ villages as administration continued to build check posts.
A heavy contingent of police and other law enforcing agencies gathered outside village 11/4 L and, learning about the arrival of more personnel, hundreds of tenants, men, women and children, armed with clubs, came to the site.
They stood in front of the law enforcing agencies at some distance away.
AMP leader Abdul Sattar said the high-ups had assured them that the check posts would not be built but the promise had not been fulfilled. So the tenants had decided to continue sit-in till the stoppage of work on check posts.
Meanwhile, a police official said the writ of the government would be maintained and that they had adopted all arrangements to control law and order across the district, including the military farms area.
CASE REGISTERED: Okara Saddar police registered a case on Tuesday against car owner Farooq and driver Riaz Masih, as their car skidded off the road and fell into the Lower Bari Doab Canal as a result of which Imran, 18, drowned on Monday.
The body of Imran was brought out of canal after five hours.
Police shifted the body to the DHQ hospital for autopsy.