Land mafia in Sindh

Lang-grabbing is taking place all over the country in different forms and various pretexts but the mafia in Sindh has taken a lead in this sort of crime as the Supreme Court (SC) has to intervene for the recovery of state land grabbed by the mafia. The SC has directed the concerned authorities to recover illegally occupied government land across Sindh province besides ordering the revenue board to submit a comprehensive report in a month. It is more pathetic to note that powerful segments of society including politicians and district administration officials are involved in the vicious business.

Land-grabbing is a statement of power in our country and had been the norm from day one, though its forms and levels of impunity varied over time. Our present was our future a few decades ago and in between; by not strictly applying the laws against land-grabbing, we did keep allowing the rapacious elements in power to compromise our future. Rule of law is a human invention solely for the preservation of humanity; without rule of law we lose our humanity. As it stands, the longer the land grabbing network is left un-dismantled, the more revolting it would be to the authorities concerned. More worrisome is the fact that Karachi, which is the main financial hub of the country, has been left at the mercy of land-grabbers.

The SC intervention in such matters is welcome as it would bring those to justice who are involved in the illegal occupation of state land. We emphasise the enormity of this grab-and-grab-quickly syndrome, whose groundswell is gathering a startling momentum in Sindh. We insist on decisive action, as any lull or foot-dragging in the matter, could result in more frustration for the general public in Pakistan. The Minute Mirror thinks that it would amount to self-mortification, were the government to allow this social wound to fester. It would be pernicious to hold back the tide, once the bubble bursts. It is high time that the concerned authorities take action against the land mafia in Sindh and save precious state land from illegal occupiers.