Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has claimed distributing thousands of acres of state’s agricultural land to landless peasants, but he is apparently unaware of the flaws in the distribution system.
Despite tall claims by the provincial government, the executive district officers (EDOs) and the Revenue district officer (DO) have continued to hand over state land to the influential people on the recommendation of the ruling party’s Members National Assembly (MNAs) and Members Provincial Assembly (MPAs), thus depriving the deserving farmers of their due rights, sources told Pakistan Today.
The said programme had been launched to empower poor farmers; however, the DOs have played favourites and made the already affluent wealthier. Over 42,203 acres of agricultural land has been distributed among the so-called landless farmers in 17 districts. Hundreds of complaints have been received against the DOs with regard to the distribution system.
Nevertheless, no action has been taken thus far to hold the DOs accountable because they have the support of provincial ministers, MPAs and MNAs. Despite distributing lands in open kutcheries after publishing advertisements in the local newspapers and making announcements in villages thorough loudspeakers, the EDO and Revenue DO have been depriving the deserving people of their rights. Some 990 landless peasants were provided with land in Thatta, 551 in Badin, 142 in Mirpurkhas, 12 in Shaheed Benazirabad, 59 in Sanghar, 696 in Khairpur, 108 in Larkana, 88 in Dadu, 13 in Jamshoro, 132 in Umerkot, 247 in Sukkur, 183 in Kashmore, 190 in Shikarpur, 240 in Jacobabad, and 201 in Ghotki.
Various complaints have been received from Thatta district and the farmers have been waiting for lands for the past seven months.
The farmers who have directly approached the higher authorities include Ali Murad Solangi from Deh Daulatpur; Najma Bai from Deh Jungo; Ami from Deh Makki; Ameen from Deh Jungo; Muhammad Hanif from Deh Ameer Bux Jamali; and Shafi Muhammad, Ghulam Qadir Solangi, and Rahim Dino from Deh Singarhi among many others.