Representatives from the Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT) have issueda pressing call for immediate government intervention to alleviate theplight of the common people. Their demands include imposing an agriculturaltax on landowners possessing more than 50 acres and bringing the realestate sector under the taxation umbrella.
These calls were made during a recent press conference held at the KarachiPress Club, where PKMT Secretary Wali Haider passionately addressed theongoing struggles faced by peasants and landless farm laborers.
In his address, Wali Haider shed light on the never-ending sufferingexperienced by farmers, who are currently grappling with the grim realityof abandoning their lands, factory closures, and a staggering rise inunemployment rates. The harsh working conditions have particularly taken atoll on women farmers and laborers, plunging them into economic hardship,hunger, poverty, and social exploitation.
The escalating costs of basic necessities, notably the surging electricitybills, have pushed the working population of Pakistan to the brink,compelling rural communities to migrate to urban areas and even overseas,often resorting to illegal means to survive, despite the risk ofimprisonment or loss of life.
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Furthermore, the crisis has given birth to severe social issues and hasexacerbated the already fragile law and order situation within the country.Wali Haider went on to inform the audience that farmers across variousregions of Pakistan, including Shikarpur, Khairpur, Ghotki, Haripur, LowerDir, Mansehra, Sahiwal, and Rajanpur, staged protests on September 4th toexpress their discontent over the crippling inflation and its adverseeffects on their livelihoods. Dr. Azra Talat Sayeed of Roots for Equitypointedly asserted that the government bears the responsibility for the”intense economic debacle” that currently grips the nation.
The joint plea from PKMT and Roots for Equity underscores the urgency ofaddressing the economic challenges faced by Pakistan’s citizens,particularly those in the agricultural sector, and calls for systemicchanges to ensure a more equitable and sustainable future for the nation
