PKRC, AMP say nationwide protests to be held on April 17

LAHORE: The Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC) and Anjuman Mazareen Punjab (AMP) have announced to hold nationwide protests at 100 plus locations on April 17, 2026, which is ‘International Day of Peasant Struggle’ in which thousands of peasants, small farmers, and rural workers are expected to participate. The organizations are holding these protests to press the government for acceptance of their demands which include immediate withdrawal of eviction notices from Katora Farm (Hasilpur), Muhammad Nagar Seed Farm (Arifwala), and all affected areas besides fixation of wheat support price at Rs4, 000 per maund instead of Rs3, 500 per maund. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, PKRC President Tariq Mahmood, General Secretary Riffat Maqsood, and AMP President Mehr Ghulam Abbas Sial declared that tenant farmers will resist state-led dispossession at all costs, while demanding a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs4, 000 per maund for wheat. Tenant farmers at Katora Farm, Hasilpur, who have cultivated these lands for generations, even prior to the creation of Pakistan, have been issued eviction notices requiring them to vacate within 30 days. These lands are now being targeted for transfer to corporations and powerful institutions under the banner of “corporate farming” and the Green Pakistan Initiative. The PKRC emphasized that this is not an isolated incident, but part of a systematic process of agrarian restructuring, where land and resources are being taken from peasants and handed over to corporate actors in the name of “modernization” and “efficiency. ” In reality, this represents a deepening of historical injustice rooted in colonial land regimes, feudal structures, and unequal land distribution. Peasant communities across Okara, Khanewal, Jhang, Bhakkar, Jahanian, Multan, Arifwala, Hasilpur, and beyond have long struggled for land rights. The latest eviction notices issued by the Bahawalpur administration have been met with firm and united resistance, with farmers declaring they will not leave their land under any circumstances. PKRC President Tariq Mahmood stated, “These evictions are a continuation of decades of exploitation. Land that has been cultivated by peasants for generations is now being handed over to corporate interests. This is a deliberate project of dispossession. ” AMP President Mehr Ghulam Abbas Sial added: “Our forefathers reclaimed these barren lands on the promise of ownership. For over a century we have lived and worked here, yet the threat of eviction remains. Our struggle began 27 years ago — we did not retreat then, and we will not retreat now. ” AMP Vice President and Katora Farm resident, Advocate Shamoon Bhatti, declared: “We will give our lives, but not an inch of our land. Women, youth, and children are all mobilized. Every village will resist. ” The PKRC warned that the removal of wheat support systems, privatization of procurement, and land dispossession are collectively pushing Pakistan toward a deep agrarian and food crisis. Although the government has announced a wheat support price of Rs3, 500 per 40kg, this remains largely symbolic. In Sindh, procurement has not begun despite the harvest season, forcing farmers to sell wheat at Rs2, 000–2, 450 per maund, well below production costs. In Punjab, the state is moving toward full privatization of wheat procurement, allowing at least 35 private companies, including agribusiness firms, fertilizer corporations, multinational traders, and flour mills, to purchase directly from farmers. Among them are entities such as Fauji Fertilizer Company (FFC), along with global commodity giants like Louis Dreyfus Company and Cargill. Similar trends are emerging in other provinces. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a hybrid procurement model (75 percent public, 25 percent private) signals a gradual but clear shift toward corporate control over food systems. PKRC General Secretary Riffat Maqsood stated: “The wheat procurement season is here, and farmers have already suffered major losses in potato and other crops. We will not allow the same injustice to happen again. ” Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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