Hizb ut Tahrir condemns the statement of federal minister for Investment Mr.Waqar Ahmed Khan, in which he has announced the selling of one million acre land to foreign investors to promote Corporate Farming which will attract foreign investment and import of foreign technology in farming sector. This was stated by Shahzad Shaikh deputy spokesman of Hizb ut Tahrir in Pakistan. He said that millions of farmers have not been given the privilege of having their own land and those who have this privilege are burdened through taxes on agriculture medicines, machinery, seeds and electricity. Because of this scenario agriculture sector of Pakistan has not been performing well despite of the fact that Pakistan has the world forth largest agriculture land in the world. But in order to promote corporate farming, government is ready to sell or lease land for long periods, allowed import of duty free machinery, harvesting of crops as per their desire and selling of crops as per international prices. Because of these concessions to foreign investors, small farmers will not be able to compete with them. Shahzad Shaikh said that at one end government screams of limited resources and inadequate water supplies and deprives its own citizens to use ten million acre of cultivable land placed which is currently unused. But in order to protect this one million acre land owned by foreigners, government will establish a new security force comprising of one hundred thousand men as well as work to provide water to irrigate this land. If government is able to provide water to these lands then why these lands are forbidden for poor farmers so that they could cultivate them and became the owner of these lands.

Mohammad (saw) said:

Shahzad Shaikh said that by implementing this order of Islam not only poverty will be vanished but Pakistan’s agricultural production will be enhanced many folds and government can also earn a huge sum of money in Khiraj and Usher from these lands. He said that Hizb ut Tahrir demands that government immediately abandons the selling of one million acre of land to few capitalist. These lands should be distributed among land less farmers free of cost and they should also be provide duty free fertilizer, seeds, electricity and machinery to agriculture sector. Because of these measures unemployment will diminish, Pakistan will become self sufficient in agricultural sector and also we will get freedom from American and European blackmailing.

Shahzad Shaikh

The Official Deputy Spokesman of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Pakistan

28 Rabi At-Thani 1430
23rd April 2009