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Report on peasant conference in Pakistan
Labour Party Pakistan - March 27, 2009
Farooq Tariq – I am now sitting at the platform of a peasant convention in Kulyana Estate in Okara district. Over 5000 in attendance. Over a 1000 peasant women sitting side by side. Five different private channels are covering the event. ARY television have brought equipment to broadcast it live. It was told by Wadood Mushtaq of ARY that it was broadcatsed live for 25 minutes. This covered the arrival of several rallies of peasants coming with red flags to join the convention. There are dozens of tractor trolies standing out the convention venue which has brought the peasants to the place. The convention is held at an open field with three large trolies used for platform. It is all covered and peasants are sitting on chairs and on the floor.
There is a lot of enthusiasm in the convention. The land here is very fertile. Over a 100 year ago, It was promised to the tenants that if they cultivate the land it will be given to them. But instead it was allotted to retired military generals and they are now alloties of this land of over 6000 acres. There are 14 villages in the area with over 35000 inhabitants.
These military officials are then sub contracting this land to the native peasants. These peasants are now organised in Anjman Mozareen Punjab. They are demanding the ownership right of this land and an end of contract system. In some villages, the contract amount of one acre has gone up to over 25000 Rupees ($320).
Badran Bibi, a local peasant women leader told the convention that in our villages, there is no clean drinking water, no schools, no graveyards, no basic health facilities and it seems that we are not human beings. She told to the gathering that we are not going to accept it in any case, we are organised now and united struggle of men and women will win.
Nadeem Ashraf vice president Anjman Mozareen Punjab spoke of the militant actions of Mozareen in Punjab and warned the government that if this land is not given to the tenants then a massive movement will continue. He said that gone are days when the retired military general could do anything here, we will fight back this unjust contract system. Nadeem Ashraf who is also elected union Nazim (mayer) in Renalkhurd joined the convention leading a large rally earlier from his constituency.
It was Bushra Khaliq, general secretary Women Workers Help Line who received the best continuous applause from the convention. She spoke of women fighting for land rights becoming an international example for other to follow. Bushra congratulated the organisers to mobilize than many women for this convention. She said this movement will win because women are leading it and are owning this movement. She warned the government of a Dharna in Lahore where hundreds fo working class women will also join the peasant women and men. She asked the men not to indulge in domestic violence. Bushra demand an equal share of land for women if this land if given to the peasants.
Asim Sajad Akhtar of Peoples Rights Movement reminded the PPP government of their promise for granting this land to tenants. He disclosed that the PPP government has received a letter from General Head Quarter of Army that they should look at least one million acre of state land that is to be allotted to military personal. He told that tenants in Kot Addo district were asked to vacate the state land after that was allotted to military officials. He demanded an end of eviction and asked the participants to show their full solidarity with Kot Addo tenants.
I spoke about the present land right s campaign and told that this is the third large gathering of peasants during the last two months. There will be another such event in Lahore on 29 March and then a historic peasant conference in Okara military Farms on 17 and 18 April 2009. I said there is no other option but to accept our demand of land rights. "If we can fight for the lawyers and can go to jail several times, imagine what can we do for our own demands, we are all ready for sacrifices and this land belongs to us and will remain so". I demanded from chief justice Iftikhar Choudry to take a sue motto notice of this situation and order an investigation of all the killings of Mozareen at the hands of the military generals during Musharaf period.
Mehr Abdul Sattar general secretary AMP spoke passionately about the sacrifices that Mozareen have made for this movement. "We have fought shoulder to shoulder with lawyers to fight for an independent judiciary, it is their turn to support our just cause". Mehr Abdul Sattar appealed to civil society to come forward to help the peasants.
Later a large rally went to Okara Depal Pur Chouck with their red flags and blocked the main road for some time.
This was one of the largest gathering of the peasants in this area. Literary all the inhabitants of all 14 villages of Kalaya Estate attended this peasant convention. It attracted the main stream media to this remote area.
Daily Dawn Lahore reported on 27 march that thousands of peasants participated in the convention.
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