Road occupation against possible military action in Okara
Anjaman Mozareen Punjab has decided to organize protest rallies tomorrow on 30th December in Okara against possible military action to evacuate them. Thousands of peasants will gather at Military Farms Okara on the main G T Road. This is to demand the ownership rights of the land they have been cultivating for over 100 years.
Mehr Abdul Sattar, Liaqat Ali, Khushi Mohammed Daula, Nadeem Ashraf, Malik Saleem Jakhar, Badar Nisa of Anjaman Mozareen Punjab will lead the rallies from different areas of Okara. Thousands of peasants are expected to protest against the leaked reports of military action in Okara.
The protesters will remind the government the promises that Mian Nawaz Sharif of Muslim League and Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan People’s Party have made with the peasant movement during Mushraf period that once they come to power the land will be handed over to the tenants. Over 68000 acres of land are under public sector farms and major chunk of that agriculture land is occupied by military. The rallies will demand an end of military business like activities and their control over the land.
It is been reported by several of our inside sources that the military generals are negotiating with Punjab government to act against the tenants and force them to leave the land. The protest rallies will be a sharp reminder of the power of the peasantry that it is united and will fight back. The peasant women will lead these rallies. They are most brave section of the movement. The grand Trunk Road leading to Lahore from Sahiwal will remain closed as thousands of peasants will be protesting starting at 11am.
29 December 2010
For more information, please contact
By Noor Nabi advocate, Media adviser AMP
Mehr Abdul Sattar general secretary AMP
Nadeem Ashraf vice president AMP
Peasant’s leader threatened by religious fundamentalists
Dear all,
A registered letter is been sent to Nadeem Asharaf vice president Anjaman Mozareen Punjab by some unknown people on the name of a registered religious Madarasa. He has been threatened to loose his life in the letter for his support to the peasant struggle for land rights. It is been written that an attack will be carried out on his life. He is been asked to give up his fight for land rights.
A copy of another letter to Deputy Coordination Officer Okara is also been attached with this letter. In this letter, the same people have asked the DCO to take action against the leaders of Anjaman Mozareen Punjab. This letter have demanded the peasants to pay all the amount to the military generals that they have refused to pay since the beginning of the movement in 2001.
The military generals are been allotted nearly 2500 acre of land in 2007 in Renala Khurd area of Okara district. The peasants have refused to leave this land as they been been cultivating this land for decades. Another 20,000 acre of land in the same district is also been in possession of the peasants and they have refused to pay any share or contract amount to the military generals. The AMP is heading the movement.
Now the religious fundamentalists have come into action to side with the military generals according to this letter.
Anjman Mozareen Punjab has announced two action against a possible military operation in this area. There has been a lot of reports from the Military Farms that the military officers are preparing for an action in near future.
There will be a protest rally on 30th December in Okara. Thousands of peasants from different part of Okara will gather in the city to protest against the possible military action and against anonymous threats to the life of Nadeem Asharaf.
On 10th January, on the eve of the 9th death anniversary Bashir Ahmad,the first martyr of the peasant movement, there will be a public meeting in village 20/1 Rb in Renala Khurd at 11am. Peasants leaders from different parts of Punjab will come to attend this public meeting.
Mehr Abdul Sattar general secretary AMP and Farooq Tariq spokesperson Labour Party Pakistan have condemned the death threats to Nadeem Asharaf and vowed to fight back with mass actions. They said in a joint statement that such threats will not make us run away from struggle. We have no option but to fight back. They appealed to the district administration to provide security to Nadeem Asharaf against a possible attack on his life.
27 Decembre 2010
Contact Nadeem Asharaf for more details.
Nadeem Asharaf