Monthly Archives: January 2018

Several injured in tenants-police clash in Charsadda

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January 26, 2018

CHARSADDA: A tenant woman set herself on fire in protest against police action to evict them from houses and land in Ijara village on Thursday while over a dozen people, including police personnel, were injured in clashes with the peasants and their female family members. The woman, who is said to have received severe burns, was taken to the tehsil headquarters hospital.

According to the district administration officials and local residents, women and children of tenants came out of their houses when the police and FC personnel tried to use force to evict them from the land occupied by them in Ijara village of Tangi tehsil.

During the protest, a woman sprinkled kerosene oil on her body and set herself on fire. She got burn injuries and was rushed to the THQ hospital in critical condition.

Later, sensing gravity of the situation the administration decided to give 20 more days to the tenants to leave the land and houses, which belonged to landlords of the area. The decision was made after a meeting with representatives of tenants.

Moreover, nine tenants, including women and children, were injured when armed men of the landlords stormed their houses to evict them in Hando village.

The district administration claimed that tenants had been removed from 285 kanals in Qandaharo, Mir Ahmed Gul and Hando villages.

Deputy commissioner Mutazir Khan and district police officer Zahoor Afridi while addressing a joint press conference said that the police personnel had taken action to reclaim the land occupied by peasants in the light of Peshawar High Court verdict.

They said that the land had been handed over to the owners. They said that some tenants were also arrested during the action.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2018

SEVERAL INJURED IN TENANTS-POLICE CLASH IN CHARSADDA

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Dawn, January 26, 2018

CHARSADDA: A tenant woman set herself on fire in protest against police action to evict them from houses and land in Ijara village on Thursday while over a dozen people, including police personnel, were injured in clashes with the peasants and their female family members. The woman, who is said to have received severe burns, was taken to the tehsil headquarters hospital.

According to the district administration officials and local residents, women and children of tenants came out of their houses when the police and FC personnel tried to use force to evict them from the land occupied by them in Ijara village of Tangi tehsil.

During the protest, a woman sprinkled kerosene oil on her body and set herself on fire. She got burn injuries and was rushed to the THQ hospital in critical condition.

Later, sensing gravity of the situation the administration decided to give 20 more days to the tenants to leave the land and houses, which belonged to landlords of the area. The decision was made after a meeting with representatives of tenants.

Moreover, nine tenants, including women and children, were injured when armed men of the landlords stormed their houses to evict them in Hando village.

The district administration claimed that tenants had been removed from 285 kanals in Qandaharo, Mir Ahmed Gul and Hando villages.

Deputy commissioner Mutazir Khan and district police officer Zahoor Afridi while addressing a joint press conference said that the police personnel had taken action to reclaim the land occupied by peasants in the light of Peshawar High Court verdict.

They said that the land had been handed over to the owners. They said that some tenants were also arrested during the action.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1385383

THREAT TO STOP SELLING BT COTTON SEEDS IRRESPONSIBLE: MAHYCO MONSANTO

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17 January 2017

The war of words between Mahyco Monsanto Biotech (India) Private Limited (MMBL) and the National Seed Association of India (NSAI) continues with MMBL issuing a rebuttal to the allegation made by the latter on the failure of Bollgard II and its consequences.

MMBL has contended that it is not responsible for development of resistance in pink bollworm and its acceleration or the consequences (compensation claims). It blamed the NSAI for threatening to stop sales of Bt cotton seeds from this month.

“Your threat to advise your members to stop selling Bt cotton seeds from January 2018 is irresponsible and in complete disregard of the interests of farmers,” Satyender Singh, Director of MMBL, said in the letter.

The five-page letter gave a point-by-point rebuttal to NSAI’s allegations against Monsanto and MMBL on a host of issues that included payment of compensations and efficacy of Bollgard II.

MMBL alleged that the NSAI was trying to deflect responsibilities on development of resistance caused by the failure of its member companies in propagating prescribed practices.

Reiterating that resistance was a natural and evolutionary adaptation of insects and pests to stress factors, he said propagation and adoption of recommended practices was a combined responsibility of all stakeholders in cotton production and not just that of the technology provider.

Rejecting the claim that it kept mum on the growing resistance, he said both the regulator and the seed firms had been informed about the incidence.

The firm, which sub-licences it to Indian seed companies, also wrote to Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, explaining to him about the fallacies in the NSAI allegations.

The NSAI reiterated its threat on stoppage of seed sales. “We make it clear that until and unless there is clarity on the role and responsibility, there is no question of selling Bt cotton seeds,” Kalyan B Goswami, Director-General of NSAI, said.

“You accept that resistance is natural and evolutionary but go on charging trait value for the technology despite its failure,” he argued.

He said that the resistance was not restricted to only a few areas as claimed by the firm. “The regulatory authorities have confirmed that BGII failure was observed in more than 90 per cent of the cotton growing area in the country,” he pointed out.

http://m.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/threat-to-stop-selling-bt-cotton-seeds-irresponsible-mahyco-monsanto/article10038022.ece

ڈؤنلڈ ٹرمپ،بس اب اور نہیں! پاکستان کسان مزدور تحریک مرکزی رابطہ کار الطاف حسین

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میں الطاف حسین پاکستان کسان مزدور تحریک کا مرکزی رابطہ کار ہوں، خیبر پختون خوا میں ضلع لوئر دیر سے تعلق ہے۔ پی کے ایم ٹی بے زمین اور چھوٹے کاشتکاروں مزدوروں کی نمائندہ جماعت ہے جو کہ پاکستان کے تین صوبوں کے پی کے، سندھ اور پنجاب میں 16 اضلاع میں کام کررہی ہے۔

ڈونلڈ ٹرمپ صدر متحدہ امریکہ کہتے ہیں کہ آپ نے ہمیں ڈبل کراس کیا۔ ہم نے آپ کو 33 ارب ڈالر دیا۔ آپ نے ہمارا کام نہیں کیا۔ ہماری حکومت کہتی ہے کہ ہمیں 15 ارب ڈالر ملے ہیں او رہمارا نقصان 110 ارب ڈالر کا ہوا ہے۔

جب سے پاکستان بنا ہے۔ امریکہ نے ہمیں نقصان دیا ہے۔ لیکن ایک کسان ہونے کے ناطے میں زراعت پر ہونے والے اثرات پر بات کروں گا۔ 10-9-2008 سے لے کر 2011 تک ہونے والے نقصان کی بات کروں گا۔

آپ لوگوں کے علم میں ہے کہ مالاکنڈ ڈویژن کے اضلاع ضلع لوئر دیر ، ضلع اپر دیر، ضلع شانگلہ، ضلع سوات اور ضلع بنیر اللہ تعالیٰ نے باغات اور سبزیوں کے لیے بنائے ہیں۔ باغات میں آڑو، خوبانی، آلوچہ، فصلوں میں گندم، مکئی اور چاول سبزیوں میں پیاز ٹماٹر جو کہ بڑے پیمانے پر اگائے جاتے ہیں۔ چھوٹے پیمانے پر لگائے جانے والے میوے، سبزیاں اور فصلیں ہیں۔

لوگ وہاں سے نکل آئے آئی ڈی پیز بن کر گھر بار چھوڑ کر، تیار فصلیں، باغات اور سبزیاں رہ گئی۔ میرا اپنا باغ آلوچہ ؍ آلوبخارہ کا ہے۔ اٹھارہ لاکھ آمدن آتا ہے۔ مٹی کا خوراک بن گئے۔ عربوں روپوں کا نقصان ہوا اب ہمارے باغات پانی نہ ملنے کی وجہ سے سوکھ گئے۔ کرفیو لگا رہتا تھا جس کی وجہ سے مارکیٹنگ نہیں ہوسکی۔ عربوں کا نقصان ہوا۔ آئی ڈی پیز بن کر پانچ سے چھ مہینے اسکولوں، حجروں میں رہ کر مصیبتیں اٹھائیں۔ نہ وقت پر کھانا، نہ وقت پر سونا، لوگ ذہنی مریض بن گئے۔ جب واپس آئے تو کسی کا باپ لاپتہ، کسی کا بھائی اور بیٹا لاپتہ، گھر برباد، فصلیں برباد، باغات برباد، مویشی مرگئے۔ آئی ڈی پیز بن کر بے سروسامانی اور اپنے گھر پہنچ کر بھی بے سروسامانی ٹرمپ ہم نے یہ مصبتیں اٹھائیں اور آپ کہتے ہو کہ ہم نے کچھ نہیں کیا۔ ہم برباد ہوگئے۔ آپ نے ہمیں تباہ کیا۔ اللہ آپ کو برباد کرے۔

مال مویشی ہمارے کاشتکار بھی پالتے ہیں۔ دودھ کے لیے اور پال کر فروخت کرنے کے لیے۔ لوگ آئی ڈی پیز بن گئے۔ ایک آدھ بندہ مویشیوں کے لیے رہ گیا لیکن ڈر کے مارے کہ طالبان قتل نہ کریں۔ وہ بھی نکل گئے اور مویشیوں پانی نہ ملنے اور چارہ نہ ملنے کی وجہ سے مرگئے۔ میں صرف اپنے ایک دوست کی بات کروں گا۔ اس نے دو گائے پالے تھے۔ ان کے بچے بھی تھے جب وہ واپس آیا تو جانور مرگئے تھے۔ ان کا کہنا تھا کہ ایک گائے کی قیمت ایک لاکھ دس ہزار تھی اور وہ جانور کیسے تڑپ تڑپ کر مرے ہوں گے کیا یہ ظلم نہیں ؟ کیا یہ انسانیت ہے۔

تعلیمی ادارے بند رہے۔ بچے تعلیم سے محروم رہے۔ اسکول بارود سے اڑا دیے گئے۔ سات سالوں میں واپس تعمیر ہوئے۔ اقوام متحدہ میں امریکہ کی مندوب خاتون کہتی ہیں کہ امریکہ کے لوگ کہتے ہیں کہ ہمارا پیسہ آپ نے جنگجوؤں کو کھلایا۔ بس کریں اور جنگجوؤں کو نہ کھلائیں۔

.ڈؤنلڈ ٹرمپ آپ کہتے ہو کہ آپ نے ہمیں ڈبل کراس کیا۔ لیکن میں کہتا ہوں کہ آپ نے ہمیں تباہ کیا۔ بس اب اور نہیں

In Response to 15 Years of Lie and Deceit: Indeed No More!

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PRESS RELEASE                                                            

January 9, 2018

The President of the United States of America, Mr. Donald Trump on January 1, 2018 sent a tweet in which he states that his country had ‘foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years. . . . No more!” Pakistan Mazdoor Kissan Tehreek and Roots for Equity beseech, beg, and plead, the President of the United States and its people, (on whose behalf US aid is provided), to at least keep this ONE promise of NO MORE!.

Let us recount what this ‘foolish aid’ and engaging in the so called War on Terror has cost the people of Pakistan: more At least 1,000 NATO and drone attacks, and suicide bombings have left more than 40,000 dead, and 20,000 injured; not to include destruction of our livelihood, infrastructure, agriculture, livestock, industrial production and other economic aspects of daily life. But the economic cost is nothing in contrast to the absolute loss of dignity and peace that we, the people of Pakistan have suffered. Our constitution was changed to allow for unchecked ‘security measures,’ we the people of Pakistan, each one of us, are potential ‘terrorist’, even by our own law enforcement agencies. Our young people and youth have grown up in a state of terror, not being allowed peaceful dignified existence in our communities. Millions have been forced to be displaced, living as refugees in the country. Our people’s organizations are searched, humiliated, and subjugated at every step; people’s rights, civil rights are all severely curtailed! All this because of your ‘foolish aid’.

The history of US economic and military aid needs to be examined from the early years of Pakistan. US AID reports admit that development loans (not grants) for millions of dollars’ worth of fertilizers to Pakistan were provided. The introduction of green revolution technologies supported by Ford and Rockefeller Foundation, wiped out our traditional agriculture, creating a huge market for US agriculture corporations; as a result today millions of farmers are deep in debt – (just like the Pakistani government), suffering from malnutrition, hunger and impoverishment. Today, the clarion call of aid agencies is Food Fortification; thank you Green Revolution! Millions of children and adults are now suffering from micronutrient deficiency because of fertilizers and HYV seeds of Green Revolution. So, first US AID has caused disease and death through highly toxic agriculture inputs, and now the ‘remedy’ is fortified therapeutic foods. US AID is pouring in millions of dollars aid through the UN agencies including the World Food Program and UNICEF for food fortification. Based on testimonies given to the US Congress, US international food aid from farm to foreign ports provides the following benefits:

$1,972,000,000 in output of all US industries

$518,000,000 in earnings of households and 13,043 jobs

So, on one hand US economy is maintained by sending us in-kind food, and on the other a new ‘Gift’ is fortified food. This is the next billion dollar market created through food fortification. US Corporations like Kellogg and General Mills among others, supported by USAID, USDA have ‘foolishly helped’ the government of Pakistan reforms our laws and standards so that fortified foods can be force-fully marketed to the hungry, malnourished people of Pakistan.

This is similar to what has been done for changing seed laws in 2015. The meager $6 billion US Aid from the Kerry Lugar Bill in the name of economic and emergency aid for the people, has been used to bring about huge legislative changes in various sectors including agriculture and energy pushing for privatization, liberalization and deregulation. US AID has particularly pushed Pakistani agriculture research toward paving the way for US corporations.

No doubt, the US state is imperialist! We put our hopes in the people of the US. We ask them to stand with the people of Pakistan and not send any more aid ‘in their name. Please Mr. Trump, NO MORE MILITARY, ECONOMIC, HUMANITARIAN, FOOD AID to the people of Pakistan; and (using us a conduit) to the people of Afghanistan. As an ‘honest American citizen’ and the leader of such a ‘great nation’ we hope you will keep this promise, at least!

Released by: Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT) & Roots for Equity

Urdu Press Release

Urdu Press Release