LAHORE: In a significant ruling, the Lahore High Court invalidated the decision of the interim Punjab government to lease 45,000 acres of land to the army for 20 years in three districts.
The court stated that both the caretaker government and the military had exceeded their mandates in agreeing.
According to sources, the army had sought ownership of land in Bhakkar, Khushab, and Sahiwal for Corporate Agriculture Farming (CAF) as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative.
However, Justice Abid Hussain Chattha, in a detailed verdict on 4 petitions filed by the Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan (PILAP) and others, ruled that the caretaker government lacked the constitutional and legal authority to make decisions regarding the CAF initiative.
The court order declared the transaction, decisions, and approvals related to the land lease as unlawful and without legal effect.
Moreover, this included the new Statements of Conditions (SOCs) approved in a ministerial committee meeting and the caretaker cabinet meeting.
Furthermore, all subsequent notifications and developments regarding the transfer of state land to the Pakistan Army were deemed null and void.
It is worth noting that the ruling comes after Justice Chattha had previously stayed the transaction on March 29 and reserved the final verdict on May 29.
Source: DAWN
audio or video leak of this judge coming soon 😆🤣