Dear Friends,
We wish to share with you the following statement from ActionAid Pakistan and Bhandar Hari Sangat.
Asian Human Rights Commission
Hong Kong
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A Statement from ActionAid Pakistan and Bhandar Hari Sangat forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission
PAKISTAN: People’s Declaration on Agrarian Reforms
Note: The Declaration on Agrarian reforms in Pakistan has been prepared through a consultative process all over Pakistan. Peasants, farmers and lawyers as well as social and political activists contributed in the consultations. ActionAid Pakistan and Bhandar Hari Sangat coordinated the consultative process all over Pakistan. (adam.malik@actionaid.org and bhandarsangat@yahoo.com). The objective of the campaign is to demand land reforms in accordance with the Act of Parliament January 1977.
The Declaration
The prevailing agricultural system does not ensure food for millions of people in the country, nor does it guarantee prosperity of millions of workers involved in agriculture production. This system is only for increasing the capital of feudals, military and civil bureaucracy, national and multinational agriculture industrialists and traders and provides a means to uphold their social and political domination. Feudal system of land ownership rooted in the colonial period has enslaved a majority of peasants and agriculture workers throughout the country. It has contributed to destabilizing democracy, marginalization and subjugation of women and inert faith disagreement and intolerance. Thus, in the presence of existing colonial agriculture system, it is impossible to institute a moderate progressive democratic society.
Agrarian Reforms assure distribution of land among peasants and agriculture workers including men and women, reorganize agricultural production practices assuring inexpensive and adequate food for people, enhance land fertility and reduce superfluous expenses on agriculture inputs and environmental pollution by promoting native and traditional knowledge, experiences and information of farmers. It will ensure prosperity for peasants, agriculture workers, rural population and entire society by freeing the peasants, agriculture workers, bonded labor and rural population especially women and children. There is need to establish direct marketing system among producers and consumers. Agrarian Reforms will purge inhuman and vicious feudal system and lead the society towards democracy as well as to promote the values of human rights, tolerance and social justice.
Agriculture Land Management
Implement Land Reforms and introduce more land reforms in letter and spirit and proclaim maximum ceiling of land holding 50 Acres irrigated and 100 Acres Barani per family without any exception.
Prevent decision of parallel judicial system during the period of unrepresentative fundamentalist authoritarian government making the Land Reforms ineffective and make necessary legislation to discard eighth amendment and other authoritarian amendments that protect such kind of anti-people decisions.
Put an end to all colonial laws on land, establish a mechanism to resolve conflicts over land through an autonomous Land Utilization Commission that also will ensure the use of land only for production whereby apprehending all forms of commercialization.
Allot maximum 8 acre land per family to local peasants and agriculture workers preferably to women already inhabitant of the same or adjacent land.
Reclaim the land allotted to government agencies including military farms and distribute among local peasants and agriculture workers preferably to women.
Cancel the allotment of land under Auction, Reward and Claim except to those who cultivate themselves.
Check and stop Illegal occupation of influential over peasants land which they obtained through Land Reforms in past and handover again among rightful owners.
Stop the conspiracy to uphold the new form of feudalism as well as existing land holding system in the name of corporate farming.
Cancel the allotment of forest land to influential persons and allot the same, to local peasant and agriculture workers preferably to women, with condition of planting forests.
Document the survey or non-survey land possessed by influential individual or institutions all over the country including the areas of Kacha (river banks) Kachho, Kohistan, Kachh, Belpat, Dasht, Thar, Thal & hilly areas and distribute among local peasants and agriculture workers preferably women formerly inhabitant of the same or adjacent land.
Reclaim the infertile or degraded land due to water logging, salinity or any other reason and distribute among landless peasants and agriculture workers preferably women already inhabitant of the same or adjacent land.
Regularize the villages and rural settlements all over the country by documenting the ownership rights to all citizens living there and provide them basic facilities including safe drinking water, sanitation, education, health, electricity, gas etc.
Discourage the use of agriculture land for non-agriculture purpose; where ever necessary, include rehabilitation of peasants in the proposed project as an important component.
Computerize all the record of agriculture and non-agriculture land and ensure citizens access to it via website.
Judicious use and distribution of irrigation water
Ensure judicious water distribution in the country at all levels such as rivers, canals, minors and water courses; particularly access of water at tail areas.
Ensure judicious water distribution and implementation of water related agreements among federating units.
Stop all controversial water projects including Kalabagh Dam and ensure access to water for deltaic areas.
Provide free electricity and energy for drawing under ground water as well as lifting irrigation water upper level agriculture lands.
Pave concrete lining of irrigation system from water courses to canals to stop water wastage and protect the land from water logging and salinity.
Stop profit making projects of International Financial Institutions in the name of irrigation reforms.
Stop privatization of irrigation water and other agriculture related units.
Undertake plans for complete rehabilitation of peasants, farmers and rural population affected from mega water projects especially in Indus Delta and Taunsa.
Mode of agriculture production
Consult peasants, agriculture workers, small growers and agriculture scientist in the process of agricultural policy-making.
Prevent underground and surface resources from all kinds of pollution by means of necessary legislation.
Revoke anti-peasant and anti-agriculture policies as well as conditions of IFIs and WTO.
Improve organic farming and stop unnecessary use of chemicals, pesticides, non-traditional seeds and agriculture machinery through legislation. Set up laboratories and research institutions to promote natural fertilizers, Bull ploughing and organic pest control methods. Provide resources and training to peasants and farmers to customize these methods.
Resolve as state responsibility to provide necessary machinery and energy required for agriculture.
Put into operation the crop insurance as state responsibility.
Make effective, extended and easier government network for credit to farmers and peasants as well as to promulgate necessary legislation aiming to regulate huge mark up collection by private lenders.
Constitute autonomous monitoring councils comprising of peasants and farmers to implement effectively the useful and favourable research and practices as well as to supervise the distribution of energy, irrigation water and machinery required for cultivation.
Marketing of agriculture production
Announce support price of crops before harvesting and establish government purchase centres also to ensure purchase of all agriculture produce on support price.
Develop necessary infrastructure required for farm to market access including roads and means of transport.
Depose the role of middleman in sale or purchase of agriculture production and constitute cooperatives of peasants, small growers and agriculture consumers for creating direct sale and purchase system through necessary legislation.
Build stockrooms and cold storages for preservation of crop production at local level.
Set up purchase centres and agro-based industries according to the crop production at local level. In this connection provide resources, training and incentives for processing and packing to preserve the agriculture produce for maximum period.
Social protection for peasants and agriculture workers
Undertake adult education programs for men and women peasants and agriculture workers and provide trainings to enhance their understanding and knowledge of agriculture.
Apart from basic education, stipulate reserved quota for children peasants and agriculture workers in proportion to their population for jobs in agro-based technical institution and other social sector services. Provide jobs on priority basis to educated youth, sons and daughters of peasants and agriculture workers in all agriculture related institutions.
Ensure and declare essential health and education facilities for peasants, agriculture workers and rural population particularly for women.
Resolve as state responsibility, health and life insurance for families of peasants and agriculture workers.
Provide basic rights to peasants and agriculture workers like industrial workers, including union forming, social securities and old age benefits through necessary legislation.
Ensure proper implementation of tenancy act, bonded labour (abolition) act and other human rights laws, to safeguard peasants and agriculture workers from inhuman treatment. Take effective measures to stop the incidents of violence and harassment against women and children.
Stipulate minimum wages for agriculture workers and undertake effective measures for implementation.
We, representatives of peasants, workers, students organization, democratic, nationalist and progressive parties as well as civil society organizations resolve for joint struggle to organize and empower the peasants and men & women agriculture workers for acceptance and implementation of this declaration.
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