Current developments in Pakistan highlight the unresolved issue of proprietary rights for long-standing tenants of state-owned farms comprising thousands of acres in various districts of Punjab. The pendulum of state response to the hereditary claims of people who have lived and worked on this land for generations swings presently towards expropriation, rather than respect for rural people’s basic rights. The scenario is further complicated because the military is a significant party to these disputes. This article scrutinises the handling of these protracted disputes over land rights and identifies emerging patterns of land governance in Pakistan that will alter the future relationship of these farmers with the government. The article shows that in this specific case, the problems are not merely a continuation of traditional local feudal powers, but now relate to new postcolonial realities, especially Pakistan’s economic co-operation with China.
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