The Lahore High Court (LHC) in Pakistan delivered a fresh verdict on Monday, reversing an earlier order.
The previous decision had obstructed the interim Punjab government from allotting a 20-year land lease to the Pakistan Army. The land, spanning 45,267 acres across Bhakkar, Khushab, and Sahiwal districts, was intended for “Corporate Agriculture Farming” (CAF).
Judge Abid Hussain Chattha decided to halt the lease in response to a petition submitted by Ahmad Rafay Alam on behalf of the Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan.
The court said the interim government had no constitutional or legal jurisdiction to make CAF initiative decisions under Section 230 of the Elections Act 2017.
The Appeal Process and Its Outcome
Despite this setback, the Punjab government was undeterred and, in April, requested the LHC to overturn its ruling. The appeal was heard by a two-member LHC bench headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi.
Khalid Ishaq, Punjab’s top lawyer, represented the interim government. In their petition, they argued that the court’s ruling was inconsistent and beyond its jurisdiction over farming policies. The interim government claimed it had the legal authority to finalize or implement any unresolved decisions or policies from the preceding government, thereby making the court’s decision unlawful.
In light of the appeal, the court suspended its earlier verdict. As per sources privy to the matter, the agreement for the land lease had been signed between the military, the Punjab government, and private corporate farming companies.
The planned project would have the Punjab government providing the land while the army managed the operations using its resources. The private sector would contribute financially, including providing fertilizers. The arrangement was such that the land ownership would remain with the Punjab government, and the army’s primary role would be to transform uncultivated and underutilized land into arable crop fields.
The project was set up to be mutually beneficial, with a sizable portion of the earnings from crop sales going to the Punjab government and reinvested in agricultural research and development. The project’s initial phase involved growing pulses, millets, and rice, with large-scale cultivation of maize and wheat to follow.
