The caretaker Punjab government has handed over at least 45,267 acres of land in three districts — Bhakkar, Khushab, and Sahiwal — of the province to the Pakistan Army for “Corporate Agriculture Farming”.
According to a letter making rounds on social media, the military land directorate wrote to the provincial officials, including the Punjab chief secretary, Board of Revenue, and secretaries of the agriculture, forest, livestock, and irrigation departments for handing over of at least 45,267 acres land in districts Bhakkar, Khushab, and Sahiwal to the Pakistan Army.
Land that is 60% the size of the Maldives was just given to the Army for corporate farming.
In Bhakkar, Khushab and Sahiwal: more than 45,000 acres. https://t.co/9Dt9AMegEV
— Fasi Zaka (@fasi_zaka) March 16, 2023
The letter reminded the provincial officials of Joint Venture Agreement signed between the army and the Punjab government on March 8, 2023, wherein it was decided that the said land would be handed over to the Pakistan Army.
The development comes amid Pakistan’s economic crisis as the government is in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) related to the completion of the ninth review of a $7 billion loan programme.
Once the deal is signed, the lender will disburse a tranche of more than $1 billion from the $6.5 billion bailout agreed to in 2019, which will serve as a lifeline for the cash-strapped country.
