Punjab’s caretaker administration has decided to offer the Pakistan Army at least 45,267 acres of land in three districts — Bhakkar, Khushab, and Sahiwal — for “Corporate Agricultural Farming.
The Board of Revenue, the Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, and Irrigation Secretaries, as well as the Chief Secretary of Punjab, were all written to by the military’s land directorate to transfer: 42,724 acres in Bhakkar’s Kaloor Kot and Mankera, 1,818 acres in Khushab’s Quaidabad and Khushab.725 acres are located in Chichawatni, Sahiwal.
The notification issued by the Punjab government on February 20, 2023 and the Joint-Venture (JV) contract signed on March 8 were also included in the letter.
According to the report, the army will use its resources and administer the project while the Punjab government will provide the land. The private sector will invest and offer more assistance, including fertilizers.
Military sources made it clear that the land will continue to belong to the Punjab government. A logical administrative structure will be provided by army participation, the report said.
According to “insiders,” the Army believed the region to be arid, uncultivated, and unused. It wants to turn it into a productive area that will provide resources and money.
Retired army officers would manage the project, it was said by insiders, protecting the interests of the general public, the government, and the investors.
The Punjabi government will receive at least 40% of the proceeds from cultivation, 20% will go towards contemporary agricultural research and development, and the remaining funds will be used to fund further crops and project expansion.
