Land Reforms 1972

BY: MUHAMMAD HAMZA NAEEM

Bhutto’s Ideology towards land
reforms
 Coinciding with social and political leanings of PPP.
 To abolish the strong feudal system (Jagirdari) through empirical
measures.
PURPOSE
 Breakup the concept of landed wealth.
 Reduce national and regional income disparities.
 Increase output/production
 Creation of employment.
 Strengthen the relationship b/w landlords and tenants.
Ceilings on land holdings (in acres)

TYPE ’59 ’72 ’77

Irrigated 500 150 100
Unirrigated 1,000 300 200
PIUs 36,000 12,000 8,000

• ‘59 beneficiary loans were written off for the landowners.

• No compensation to landowners.
• Land revenue, water rates, and seed costs borne by landlords.
• Only cost of fertilizers and pesticides to be shared equally.
• Tenant eviction if he fails to pay rent, failed to cultivate land, if he sublets or
rendered the land unfit for cultivation.
Annual growth rate (agriculture)

Year Agri growth Process of nationalization

rate (%)
1971-72 3.5 Devaluation of rupee by 131%
1972-73 1.7
1973-74 4.2 Cotton, rice, veg. oil, petroleum & shipping
1974-1975 -2.1 Banks
1975-76 4.5 Cotton ginning, rice husking and flour milling
1976-77 2.5
Avg (‘71-’77)) 2.4
Effects

 12,000 PIUs = 400 acres land in Punjab and 480 in Sindh.

 Redistribution of 308,390 acres
 Only 50,548 persons benefitted.
 Only 1% landless tenants and small farmers benefitted.
 Still 39% of resumed land is held by government.
 Landlords became stronger and entrenched.