Housing Societies on Agricultural Lands — A Conspiracy

Title: Housing Societies on Agricultural Lands — A Conspiracy
By: Prof Masood Akhtar Hazarvi

Pakistan is an agricultural country. This is a land whose soil has the potential to yield gold, where rivers and canals form a network, where wheat, cotton, rice, and sugarcane have been cultivated for centuries. Yet, unfortunately, today these fertile lands are being sacrificed for housing societies. To fulfill the greed of a few families, the national future is being put at stake.
In the past two decades, villages and farmlands around the major cities of the country have rapidly been converted into residential projects. In the outskirts of Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Karachi, the very lands that once waved with wheat and vegetables are now covered with housing schemes. What is most tragic is that all this is happening with the blessing of governments and the collusion of those in power. Lands that were meant to produce food for millions of people have now become multi-billion-rupee commercial ventures in the hands of mafias.
In every conscious and responsible nation, food security is the top priority. Countries like China, India, and Bangladesh enforce strict laws to protect agricultural land. In Europe and the United States, farmers are given subsidies to ensure agriculture remains intact. But in Pakistan, the opposite spectacle is unfolding—here, the destruction of farmland is being glorified as "development."
A critical question arises: with a growing population, from where will we meet the demand for food? Will we feed our people by importing wheat and pulses? Is it befitting for an agricultural nation to beg others for grain? The truth is that behind these housing schemes stand a few influential families and powerful mafias. They become billionaires overnight, while farmers, laborers, and the poor are crushed under the burden of poverty, inflation, and unemployment. The real tragedy is that the rulers appear helpless before them—or perhaps they are part of the same game. It seems as though not only the fertile soil but also the very future of the nation has been auctioned off.
The Holy Qur’an declares the earth and its produce to be among Allah’s greatest blessings:
“It is He who made the earth manageable for you, so traverse its paths and eat of His provision; and to Him is the resurrection.” (Al-Mulk: 15)
And in another place:
“From the wealth and provision Allah has given you, give the due share to others.” (An-Nur: 33)
Destroying agricultural land is, in reality, ingratitude for Allah’s blessings and an act of robbery against the rights of future generations. The Holy Prophet ﷺ said:
“Whoever revives barren land, it becomes his right.” (Sunan Tirmidhi)
This Hadith highlights the virtue of agriculture and cultivating the earth. In contrast, destroying farmland or grabbing it unlawfully for profiteering is nothing less than betrayal.
If no serious planning is undertaken immediately, and this destruction of agricultural lands continues, Pakistan will soon face a severe food crisis. Farmland will continue to shrink, and food production will decline. The result will be annual imports of food worth billions of dollars. Already, our trade deficit has reached alarming levels; importing food will only worsen the collapse. Food shortages will drive inflation sky-high, and poverty will soar to unimaginable levels.
The time has come to halt this dangerous trend. The government must immediately ban the establishment of housing societies on agricultural lands. Urban planning must encourage vertical housing so that farmland is preserved. Farmers should be provided with modern technology and subsidies to keep them engaged in agriculture. Through schools, colleges, and media, people must be educated that farmland is the guarantor of our survival; using it for non-agricultural projects is nothing short of enmity with future generations.

If Pakistan is to be saved, its green fields and fertile lands must be protected. As a nation, we must decide that our country cannot remain hostage to housing mafias. For the luxury of a few families, it is unacceptable to push the entire nation into food slavery.
We must choose: do we want concrete jungles or lush green fields? Do we want to fulfill the dreams of worshippers of wealth, or safeguard the future of our coming generations? The time to wake up is now—otherwise, future generations will never forgive us.