LAHORE: The caretaker Punjab government has filed an appeal in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging its stay order against handing over 45,267 acres of land on a lease to the Pakistan Army for corporate farming.
As per the details, the LHC stopped the handover of the land on March 31 and issued notices to the respondents for submission of reports by May 9.
The appeal claims that the LHC passed the stay order without hearing the government’s point of view, and the land lease was duly approved by the cabinet to protect food and the environment.
It is worth noting that the Pakistan Army has signed a joint venture (JV) agreement with the Punjab government and private firms to engage in corporate farming.
The JV will utilize at least 45,267 acres of land in three districts of Punjab – Bhakkar, Khushab, and Sahiwal.
Furthermore, the Punjab government will provide the land, the army will utilize its resources and manage the project, while private firms will invest and provide auxiliary support, including the supply of fertilizers.
At least 40% of the revenue generated from the cultivation would go to the Punjab government, 20% would be spent on modern research and development in the agriculture sector, while the remaining would be used for the succeeding crops and expansion of the project.
The Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan (PILAP) filed a petition in the Lahore High Court questioning the caretaker government of Punjab’s decision to hand over 45,267 acres of land on a lease to the army.
The petition argued that the army had no jurisdiction to engage in business ventures outside its scope or claim state land for corporate agriculture farming.
The petitioner also questioned the power of the caretaker government to take such a decision and contended that the handing over of the land violated the Doctrine of Public Trust.
