Fatherland for Sale? What’s Wrong?
By Maria Sultan • Sep 11th, 2009 • Category: Politics, Worth A Second Look • 19 CommentsNews and rumors are popping up everywhere and there is volley of SMS and emails lamenting that the present government is selling the land of Pakistan to Americans and to the Saudians. It is being said that many airports in Pakistan including Shamsi airport, Jacobabad airport and other airports in remote areas have been handed over to the aliens.
It is also being reported in the media that million acres of farmland for lease or sale is being finalized with the Saudia. Saudians will themselves manage the place and they would deploy their own security forces to protect the premises. The land will be bought in all the four provinces.
All the fuss which is being created around this issue in the name of patriotism is useless and malfide. What’s wrong in selling the land to the foreigners? This is another form of the foreign investor. If Saudia or America buys out the land for farming or agriculture, then it would only create mor e jobs, business opportunities and close nexus with the Pakitanis. It would also help restoring the confidence of the investors.
When we dye about going abroad and we take it as status symbol and matter of pride to buy land in New York, London, Sydney and Paris, then why we are shy of letting them do it? Giving airports is another matter altogether and that is a hit on the national sovereignty but selling land for agriculture or industrialization should be welcomed and encouraged at every level. It could also help improving the food shortage in Pakistan, as foreign investor would bring hybrid seeds, pesticides, modern machinery and other technology.
We should open up our hearts and arms and we should help government in creating conducive environment for investment. These foreign projects are not outlandish, rather they are extraordinary.
Trackback URL
|
|
|
Click For More Articles By Maria Sultan
So much cake so little time
All posts by Maria Sultan
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
“If Saudia or America buys out the land for farming or agriculture, then it would only create mor e jobs, business opportunities and close nexus with the Pakitanis. It would also help restoring the confidence of the investors”
Saudi Arabia is willing to buy land forgrowing crops for consumption back home in Saudi Arabia
With 180 million people , Pakistan is itself facing food shortage……..in this scenario selling farm land to them for their OWN CONSUMPTION IN SAUDI ARABIA is a stupidity
Everyone MUST read this article irrespective of nationality…..:
“http://www.grain.org/briefings/?id=212″
“http://www.indiatogether.org/2008/nov/dsh-farmland.htm”
Another must read.
These are New Age Colonial Powers who wants to ensure food supply to their OWN people no matter what.
“The political economy of food is certainly being rewritten, with grave implications in store. The global financial meltdown had privatised the profits, and socialised the losses. Outsourcing food production will ensure food security for the investing country, and leave behind a trail of hunger, starvation and food scarcities for the native populations. Only the environmental tab of the highly intensive farming - devastated soils, dry aquifers, and an ecological system runied by chemical infestation - will be left for the host country to pick up. “
Dear Maria,
Why do you suppose the saudis would want to grow any thing in Pakistan or for that matter any other country? Their and own Master The USA has enough food crops to feed the american and the saudis.
Why would saudis want to work when they can get the same for free?
The title suggest that you are skeptical but the post indicates otherwise, not sure what to make out of it.
However you are right that this development is rather “extraordinary.” The last precedent in sub continent was when “The East India Company” was established here. Like you Mughals also welcomed it. The rest is history. If we remain quite then this time Pakistan will be history.
The Lal masjid was bombed by gunships for creating a state within a state. What should we expect from this development?
Best Regards
We are facing food shortages for last 5 years why such plans were not made for people of Pakistan?
We have fully allowed our some agricultural feudal to grow for foriegners and exporters to export almost all fine qualities of fruit, rice, maizes to other countries in gulf.Those who have enjoyed the taste of export food hardly find such quality in our local market.
Even in posh area low flouride content and poor quality of fruits and vegetable are being supplied as for last many years we are also exporting food to Afghanistan too.
All this is planned under TCP and export promotion bureau without seeing its effects on our local market that surely lead us toward food shortages or higher prices than normal.So again I say that our ruling groups and bureaucracy always take Pakistan and Pakistanis as alien and enemies for them,
They give the least and worst to its people and get best for them and their families and friends after occupying decision making seats in govt offices.
Take some time and read the article of IA rehman in dawn” Motherland for sale?
By I.A. Rehman
Thursday, 10 Sep, 2009
http://www.dawn.com/wp
s/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/columnists/i-a-rehman-motherland-for-sale-099
one can easily judge the credibility of govt officials through such analysis.
Dont you think foreign investors are better than fuedal?
Look back at history. This is how disintegration of whatever was Palestine and creation of the state of Israel started. Sale of Land by Arabs to foreign investors. This might be a strong example but demonstrates that states that do not view these “investments” strategically end up paying heavily.
Look at Zardari. does he seem to be a President to you in any way? You put on a President like him and the consequences are deadly - so they are right now. Zardari when not in power, was the main culprit of all the robbing and stealing around. What do you expet him to do right now? He is a President - having all the powers to do all the things. May Allah protect this nation. Aameen.
BHC approves Bugti case petition for hearing
Updated at: 1333 PST, Friday, September 11, 2009
QUETTA: Balochistan High Court has approved Akbar Bugti murder case petition for hearing and summoned former President General (r) Pervez Musharraf and former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on October 7.
A divisional bench of BHC comprises of Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Essa and Justice Ghulam Mustafa Mengal issued the summons to Ex President Pervez Musharraf, Ex Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, former Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao, former Governor Balochistan Owais Ahmed Ghani, former Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousuf and former provincial minister for interior Shoaib Nosherwani on Friday while hearing a petition filed by Jamil Akbar Bugti for the registration of the FIR in murder of his father and former Governor and Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Akbar Bugti. They have been summoned on October 7.
Earlier, local court of Sibbi had rejected the same petition against former President Pervez Musharraf.
Thats a good decision but I think the Bugti’s lifestyle should also be questioned - his slaves, jails, killings and injustices. Lets be fair.
Javed, there is lots difference between Pakistan and Palestine.
Ayaz, I also wonder about our top man.
Well whoever Bugti was, Musharraf had no right to murder him. Even, Zia murdered ZAB through court.
History has witnessed that the first step to occupy any territory is through its land resources.That is what East India Company did.They were here for red spices and eventually ended in putting the same spices in the eyes of Mughals.If Pakistan has such a grandeur yield of agrarian products why is its agrarian export nosediving?the fact is not as simple as it seems.There seems some covert designs.
Saudies and Americans have enough money to buy the food they want from Pakistan by investing. But buying land is another thing especially guarding it with their own security. First of all let the Saudies give MALE HOOD TO PAKISTANI males so that they treat PAKISTANIES just like YEMENIES.
May it be a fatherland or Motherland. If the Pakis are unable to invest and cultivate their land, Let the Saudis lease it and invest. Why the Hue and cry. It will create some promising activity in the region.If America opens its doors for immigrants to invest, so be it. Infact the Saudis shuld offer India to buy Kashmir.So India can invest into feeding its people . Now the Paki leaders wuld love to buy nice properties in UK. Let evolution take place. Jai hooo Let the Slumdogs prosper or the producers maybe.
Maybe the crop which will come out in Pakistan is Islamic crop, or Muslim Crop. LOLNow even the food has religion, Gandhi refused to take a glass of water from Jinnah, because it was used by a Muslim, amzing world. LOL. If we can see that money spoils, we have an example of the Saudi’s.
Kashmir for sale.. (there is a claim on this property, if the buyer can have the plot vacated. we can sell it at a very attarctive price). India times, Real estate agent Manmohan singh
@6
both are same as locals are depriving of their rights to eat good food produced in their land and would be gone to palaces and market of rich foriegners,
The real owner of these farms would share the profit to the workers of these lands? absolutely not
Would these saudi sheikh think of giving us oil on subsidized or cheaper rate considering us poor country?
Surely not as they know how to cash natural wealth so why our people work for their stomachs and yearn for good food that is producing by their mother land as their natural wealth.
Remember the clip of Iqbal poem
Jis khait say dhaqan ko muisar naheen rozee
us kihat ka khosha gundum ko jala do.
We have come to same situation where once influential Hindus and Muslims leaders of India and strong British rulers have placed weaker Muslim and Hindu communities just like degraded humans ,less above than slaves .
We cannot afford such investments.Instead of selling land to foreigners , we should concentrate on making our land more fertile that will suffer considerably due to the water problem that is going to get severe in the future.We are short of land ourselves.
Well firstly Nationlism shuld not be taken too far. Gira do jala do , May wuld have some sense before, But nowadays, do good Business and good Planning. Dpending on your available resources, Let the Saudis Invest, the land will still stay in Pakistan,Instead of some Vadera like, Legari/Bugtis/Kahttaks/Pagaras/Menagsls etc using or not using it let the Saudis do it. Pakistan has to be strong to Face Indian arrogance and international exploitation.Land is Land , let it be used for someones benefit, Let not the boundries define its fate,Do Good Business thats the key, Even do Business with India and Isreal, for the Benfit for Pakistan.