Another mass meeting of peasants was organised in Lahore Benghali Military Farms today on 29 March at Jallo Park. Over 700 attended the peasant convention organised by Anjman Mozareen Punjab. This was the largest meeting of peasants in the area for years.

They demanded the ownership of the land they are cultivating for over 100 years. At present, the land is occupied by the Military Farms administration.

The peasants came to the convention raising red flags and slogans for ownership. They came on their tractor and trolies. The convention was addressed by the leaders of AMP, some of them came from other districts. Also Labour Party Pakistan leaders spoke and expressed their solidarity and total support for the ownership campaign.

Mehr Abdul Sattar, general secretary AMP, Nadeem Ashraf of Renalkhurd, Shabir Choudry of Depalpur AMP, Abdul Ghafar of Kulyana Military Estate, Mian Ashraf and Mohammed Hanif of AMP Lahore and several other peasant leaders addressed the gathering and declared that the campaign will continue till it meet the success and peasants become the ownership of the land.

Labour Party Pakistan women secretary Nazli Javed, Maqsood Mujahid member LPP EC and myself spoke at the gathering and expressed their total support for the campaign.

This was the fourth large gathering of peasants during the last two months. Earlier such peasant conventions were held at Renalkhurd, Depal Pur and Kulyana Estate where over 10000 have already participated. They are demanding from PPP government to fulfill their promise of granting land ownership rights. Benazir Bhutto promised the peasants in writting that PPP will hand over this state land to the peasants when it will come to power.

Over 68000 acres of land in different districts of Punjab is been occupied by Military Farms administration. The land is been main cultivated by tenants who had been promised by successive governments to give this land to them but failed to implement it.

AMP was the first peasant organisation to offer resistence to Musharaf dictatorship when they tried to evacuate them by deception. The AMP launched a movement unprecedented in Pakistan history during 2002, 2003. This led to the arrests, false cases, killings and injuring of many during the resistence. The women played an important role.

The AMP has decided to re launch the movement of land ownership.

On 17-18 April 2009, a two days peasant conference will take place in Okara Military Farms. It is expected that over 20,000 will attend the mass rally on 17 April.

Today, I warned the Zardari government of another long march b y workers and peasants if the demand for land ownership is not accepted till the end of April this year. I also asked the chief justice to take a sue motto notice of the situation.

We demanded from Nawaz Sharif that the land belong to Punjab government and it must decide for land ownership of the tenants.

A revolutionary wave is erupting among the Mozareen of Punjab at present. It will lead to another round of mass resistence to the present government on a class issue this time,

Report by: Farooq Tariq