HYDERABAD: Peasants assembly representing highly committed activists, hailing from different districts of the province on Saturday reminded the government to comply with and effectively implement all their obligations under international conventions, in particular those related to human rights, in consultation with the agriculture workforce.

They were giving reactions during a national peasants’ assembly, organized by Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) at LondonTown, Hyderabad, which attracted a large number of men and women, associated with fishing, farming, animal rearing and those are artisans depending on traditional resources for their livelihoods.

The speakers focused on the fear of fast depletion of natural resources, including land fertility, as major chunk of lands has come under the commercial purposes in the name of increasing urbanization throughout the province, causing fears of food insecurity among the village communities, peasants, herdsmen and artisans.

They emphasized the need to show unity and launch effective campaign for legislation to protect the rights of the workforce.

PFF Chairperson Mohammed Ali Shah, Oxfam GB Grow Campaign Programme Manager Shehbaz Bukhari, Action Aid Regional Manager Shah Jehan Baloch, SPO Regional Head Mustafa Baloch, writer Zulfiqar Halepoto, Punhal Sario of Sindh Hari Porhiat Council, Saffed Baloch, Mustafa Meerani, Director Inland Fisheries Ghulam Mujtaba Wadhar, Ghulam Ali Leghari, Ashfaq Khaskheli, Faiz Zardari and others spoke on the occasion.

Mohammed Ali Shah portrayed the situation in which landless peasants live without basic facilities at the farms. There is no school for their children; no health facilities for the community women; they do not have accessibility to potable drinking water. He said this is the time to follow the slogan once the great socialist leader Sufi Shah Innayat introduced “those cultivate the piece of land can get the product.”

He said hundreds of thousands of acre fertile land has been ruined by the excessive utilization fertilizer, pesticides and genetically modified (GM) seeds. Increasing soil infertility has forced hundreds of families to shift to other places for their better livelihood and security.

Shah Jehan Baloch of Action Aid said the peasants rights campaign should be linked to the political agenda, convincing the political parties to mention land reforms in to their list of parties’ manifestos. He advised the activists to put the issue of land reforms and other problems to the candidates during the forthcoming local bodies elections to sensitise them.

Mustafa Meerani said the government assemblies always take anti-people decisions at the major forums. But this peasants assembly will share their case on their own to convey their grievances to the policy makers.

Zulfiqar Halepoto said the government should form a committee to review the land reforms introduced by the government during 2008 and 2010. According to him the beneficiaries later were deprived of their right to piece of land by certain influential persons.

The assembly made it clear that the peasants are entitled without discrimination to all human rights recognized in international law. They deserve to have safe shelter, potable water, schools for the kids education and health facilities.

They said forest economy should be restored through effective legislation to retrieve the forest land from influential persons, who have depleted the tree cover, putting the nature vulnerable to face hardships. Similarly, natural lakes have lost their natural scenic landscapes due to blocking itys feeding sources through canals.

The speakers said until land reforms are introduced through legislation, the landlords should be made bound not to put the peasant families out of job. These families should have proper share of their product as per guaranteed by the constitution and the tenancy law.

The government should set up agriculture markets close to the fields to provide the farmers access so they may deal with market directly and earn enough amount.

The assembly also pointed out that the debt system has forced hundreds of families to live under trap as slaves in this era of communication. They said the peasants approach their landlords for loan because they are being deprived of their exact crop share.

They also expressed concerns over the recent deaths of minor children in Thar and loss of animals in all the arid zones and termed it the horrible picture of bad governance. They demanded the government to compensate the people of this loss and arrange immediate food and medicine supply to the affected areas to avoid further loss.

They said the government as well as civil society activists should take the Thar situation as lesson and take precautionary measures.

Muhammad Ramzan Chandio