by Farooq Tariq
15 peasant`s leaders from Kala Shah Kakoo Lahore still remain in police custody after four days of their arrests. They were picked up by the police on the complaint of Rice Research Institute Kala Shah Kakoo that they have not paid the due share of the wheat crops this season.
Over 400 acres of land is been cultivated for over 100 years in this area by the tenants working at government owned farm. The peasants are demanding an ownership right. They decided in a meeting at the village chack 38 not to pay any more and that they have paid enough.
Police all over Punjab are trying to help the different government owned farms administrations where the peasantry have refused to pay by arresting the leaders of Anjaman Mozareen Punjab AMP (Tenants Association Punjab). They include military farms, seed farms, and agricultural research farms and so on. The majority of the total 68000 acres of government lands tenants have refused to pay this season.
Peasant women are in the forefront of this revolt. In Khanewal district where few hundreds of police men are encircling seven villages, over 3500 peasant women are ready for a fight. On 6th May, these brave women stopped a police van which was carrying three arrested peasant leaders and forced the police to release them. The police had to ask help from the main leadership of the AMP to help their release from the women who would not let the police van go away. The women lay down in front of the police van when they heard that the police have arrested the three leaders.
Most of these women were carrying their traditional weapon, a wooden stick, they normally use for cleaning the cloths at the canal sides. They were ready to use it if necessary.
On 7th May, over a 100 peasant women from Kala Shah Kakoo arrived at Labor Party Office in Lahore where a press conference was organized to press the demand for the release of the 15 leaders. We had to shift the press conference in an open place after there was no place in the office even to stand. These women were carrying the wooden sticks as well. They had come to Lahore for a fight with the police. The police avoided a show off and asked a delegation to see the governor of Punjab. The Governor instructed the police chief of Lahore to settle the mater. On 8th May the negotiation initiated by police with the Rice Research Institute administration went on whole day to be continued on 11th May.
This is first time in the recent history of Punjab that peasantry is in such a revolt. So for this is limited to the government owned farms, but it is a history in the making. Peasantry is in fight art the time when there is a military rule. It is precisely the military farms tenants that initiated and led this movement. To win the votes of half a million peasantry at the government owned farms, General Musharaf announced again and again that the state owned land will be handed over to the tenants. The AMP has announced to implement the decision on its own. They are making the words of General Musharaf a hard reality for the government to digest.
The police is preparing for a whole sale crack down on this movement. The Khanewal district is in his sight where police is preparing an all out assault on the peasantry who are refusing to pay. Women are in the forefront to defend the decision of the AMP. Labor Party Pakistan, along side with social movement is helping the AMP in this crucial time.
