Pakistan farmer protest: There is going to be a big peasant movement in India’s neighboring country Pakistan. According to Dawn’s report, the farmer organizations of the country have announced a nationwide protest against corporate farming from 13 April. The decision was announced after a joint meeting of Pakistan Kisan Rabita Committee, Anjuman Mazarin Punjab, Hari Zedzehad Committee, Cropyer Foundation and other organizations. Protest rallies will be held in different towns and public fields including southern Punjab. Let us know that there has been a farmer agitation in India, due to which there was a conflict between the government and the agitators for a long time.

Farmers in Pakistan believe that corporate farming may endanger their rights on traditional land. He can be deprived of the reach of agricultural resources. Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI) is a federal government scheme, which aims to convert barren land into fertile fields. Under this, modern agricultural technology, AI-operated monitoring, advance seeds and better irrigation systems will be used.

According to the government, its aim is to make food security, increase in agricultural production, and environmental improvements. However, the farmers of Pakistan are afraid that in the name of this modernization they may have to lose their ancestral lands and there may be a monopoly of corporates on the ground. Explain that the upcoming peasant movement in Pakistan is not only against corporate farming, but also for the demand for comprehensive land and economic rights.

What is farmers demand?
There have been many demands of people under the nationwide peasant movement in Pakistan since April 13, which is as follows:

• Corporate farming scheme can be canceled.
• Construction of controversial canals in southern Punjab should be stopped.
• All public agricultural land should be distributed among the farmers.
• Notices sent to tenants should be withdrawn for arrears.
• The government procurement rate of wheat should be fixed at 4,000 pkr/40 kg in the current harvesting season.

In these demands, the question of not only economic justice but also land ownership is hidden, which challenges decades -old social structures.

Why are the fears of small farmers increasing?
Small farmers and workers have expressed many deep concerns about the dangers associated with corporate farming models. They are afraid that they should not be removed from the lands of their ancestors. They fear that corporates will be monopolized on resources like seeds, water and machinery. The alliances of big companies and government may have to face difficulty in getting legal help to small farmers.

Kisan andolan: On March 19, demonstrations are being held across the country in support of forcibly removed farmers from Shambhu and Khanouri border. Farmer leaders announced the siege of DC offices at the district level on Friday (March 28), while on 31 March, there will be a demonstration outside the houses of the ministers of the Punjab government.

On Thursday (March 27), the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Morcha Punjab held a press conference at the Press Club in Amritsar and condemned the police action and shared the strategy of the upcoming movement. Farmer leaders called the arrest of big farmer leaders unfortunate on behalf of the police and asked to intensify the movement.

Farmers’ goods missing during police action

Farmer leaders allege that when the police removed the farmers from the border, the goods worth crores of rupees, tractor-trolleys and other essential items were confiscated, which have not been detected so far. He demanded the Punjab government to compensate for the loss and appealed to release all the detained farmers immediately.

The movement will continue till the demands are met – farmer leader

The chairman of the Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Ranjit Singh Kalerbala said that the movement will continue till his demands are met. He announced to demonstrate on DC offices on Friday (March 28) and outside the houses of ministers on 31 March. He warned that if the government ignored the demands, it will have a huge political impact.

Demand for better daily wage and legal security in favor of laborers

Farmer leaders claimed that their agitation is completely constitutional and if it was illegal, why did the government compensation to the injured farmers in the movement? He asked the workers to continue the struggle till the completion of 12 major demands including better daily wage and legal security. He appealed to the citizens to support and demanded an immediate solution from the Punjab government.

Farmers protest timeline: The meeting between farmer leaders and the central government on Wednesday (March 19) also turned out to be inconclusive. The next meeting is to be held on 4 May. Till then the farmer leaders have said to continue the movement. Meanwhile, barricading on Shambhu and Khanouri border of Punjab-Haryana is being removed. With this, after 13 months, the route with Delhi-Jammu-Amritsar highway will be opened. On the other hand, the Punjab Police started the work of removing the farmers present on this border late Wednesday evening. About 200 farmers protesting were also detained. The Punjab Police has broken the sheds made by the farmers from the bulldozer here.

On Wednesday, the central delegation spoke to the farmer leaders. The delegation included Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Minister of Consumer Affairs Prahlad Joshi and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. Shivraj Singh Chauhan has described this conversation as a large extent meaningful and has hoped to resolve the matter further. Now it will be interesting to see what results in the next meeting on 4 May. Before this, know what happened in the peasant movement in the last 13 months …

13 February 2024: Farmers left for Delhi, police stopped by barricading on Shambhu and Khanori border.

21 February 2024: There was a confrontation in police and peasants, Shubhakaran of Bathinda died, many farmers were arrested.

17 April 2024: The farmers blocked the railway track demanding the release of their colleagues. The farmers sat on the track itself.

2 September 2024: The Supreme Court formed a committee to open the Shambhu border.

18 November 2024: The farmers announced the Delhi Cooch on 6 December.

26 November 2024: Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallawal was detained by the Punjab Police. Dallewal started a fast unto death.

6 December 2024: Tried to travel to Delhi from Shambhu border. Haryana Police drove away tear gas.

8 December 2024: The farmers tried to travel to Delhi again. Haryana Police did not give entry, the farmers returned.

14 December 2024: The farmers tried to march Delhi for the fourth time. This time too, the march had to be postponed after the Haryana Police stopped.

30 December 2024: Punjab remained closed in support of farmers. Buses and trains were not allowed to run.

4 January 2025: Farmer Mahapanchayat took place on Khanori border. Dallewal was brought on a stretcher. He addressed the farmers for 9 minutes.

9 January 2025: During the mahapanchayat in Moga, the United Kisan Morcha decided to support the movement.

What happened so far in 6 meetings of central and farmers?

8 February 2024: Some demands were agreed, but the farmers’ organizations were adamant on many other demands including making MSP legal guarantee law on crops.

12 February 2024: In Chandigarh, farmers had a 5 -hour meeting with Union ministers. It was agreed to withdraw all the cases registered on farmers and cancel the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020.

15 February 2024: The farmers objected to the use of force done by the Haryana Police. The meeting lasted till one o’clock in the night.

18 February 2024: Apart from paddy, wheat, the central government proposed to give MSP on lentils, mustard, maize and cotton crops. But the rest of the crops did not agree.

14 February 2025: Union Minister Prahlad Joshi was present along with 28 farmer leaders in the meeting. The meeting was inconclusive.

19 March 2025: The protest of the farmers will continue to protest once again with the Center, the next meeting will be held on May 4

What is the demands of farmers?

• MSP guaranteed for all 23 crops
• Full debt of farmers should be forgiven
• Pension for farmers and laborers working in farm
• Electricity amendment bill should be canceled
• Compensation and accused should be punished in Lakhimpur Kheri case
• Cases registered against farmers in the movement should be returned
• Compensation to the family of farmers killed in the movement

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