Pakistan: Thousands of Punjab peasants rally to mark 10 years of struggle

By Maqsood Mujahid
June 30, 2010 -- Three months' notice has been given to Punjab government to decide the fate of the 68,000 acres of agriculture land owned by Punjab government and cultivated by tenants for more than 100 years. The tenants have been demanding land ownership rights. Despite promises to do so by former prime ministers Benazhir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif, the land in question has not been allotted to the tenants.

The three-month notice was given at the end of a massive peasants' rally on June 29 at Okara. The rally was organised by Anjaman Mozreen Punjab (AMP -- Punjab Tenants Association) on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the tenants' struggle for land ownership rights. More than 5000 peasants from different agriculture farms waved red flags and chanted slogans against the regime. They blamed their poverty on the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Pakistan army's looting of resources meant for peasants. The army owns more than 25,000 acres of land in Okara and Pakpattan districts of Punjab.

Nine peasant leaders lost their lives during 10-year struggle. They include Mohammed Bashir of Renalakhurd Military Farms (January 2002), Tufail Cheema of Dulmain Gunj Army Welfare Trust Farms Depalpur (June 2002), Manzoor Theme of Khanewal Seed Corporation Farms (June 2002), Salman Patras of Okara Military Farms (August 2002), Baba Amir Ali of Okara Military Farms (May 2003), Zafar Ali Cheena of Bail Gunj Army Welfare Trust Farms (May 2007), and Mohammed Abbas, Amir Ali and Baba Rahim of Kulyana Military Estate Okara (April 2009). The rally paid tribute the the martyrs of the movement and pledged to continue the struggle until final victory.

The march took three hours to pass the main roads of Okara and ended in front of Okara Press Club, where the main leaders of the AMP spoke to the participants. Farooq Tariq, spokesperson Labour Party Pakistan, said that the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (Mian Nawaz Sharif's party) both were responsible for not implementing the promises their leaders made while they were in opposition to the military dictatorship of General Musharaf. He said this was the first mass movement to challenge the military dictatorship at the height of its repression. Farooq Tariq gave the three months' notice to the Punjab government on behalf of the AMP, demanding the government act positively to the demands of the tenants or be ready to face a gherao (picket line) in Lahore.

"We will come in thousands and will not leave Lahore until our demands are met. We have fought the military dictatorships and we will not accept the unconcerned attitude of the present civilian government", Mehr Abdul Sattar, general secretary of the AMP told the protesters. "The movement will not end until our demands are met. We want them to fulfill the promises that have been made to us while they were in exile. We will sit idle and let the time pass. We will act and act decisively."

Mehr Abdul Sattar announced that a mass rally of peasants will be held in October 2010 at Okara, in which 100,000 peasants would take part. "We will take oaths from everyone that we are ready to die for land ownership and will march to Lahore. We will fix the date of the long march to Lahore at this historic conference of peasants."

Leaders of the AMP from Renalkhurd, Kulyana Military Estate, Pakpattan, Khaenwal, Sahiwal spoke. Azra Shad, chairperson Women Workers Help Line, and Riffat Maqsood, women's secretary of the Labour Party Pakistan Punjab chapter also addressed the rally.

There were hundreds of red flags at the rally. More than 2000 motorcycles and dozens of tractors and trolleys brought the peasants at the rally. Okara residents and traders welcomed the peasants and showed victory signs to the protesters. There were hundreds of people waving to the protesters on the way to the main venue.