Honorable Mr. Mian Raza Rabbani
Chairman, Senate of Pakistan
Islamabad, Pakistan
July 1, 2015
Subject: Seed (Amendment) Bill, 2014
Respected Sir:
As you are aware, the Seed (Amendment) Act, 2014 was approved in the National Assembly on March 16, 2015.
As the newly appointed Chairman, Senate, this is to draw your attention to the genuine concerns of both farmers and ordinary citizens on the proposed changes in the existing Seed Act, 1976.
You may recall that the Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT) has already sent you a letter on March 30, 2015 highlighting the likely ill-effects and un-democratic process of passing this Act. Therein, we had requested your kind attention into this important matter. It is very un-fortunate that the Senate Standing committee has approved of this proposed Act. We have apprehensions about the Senate also approving the same very soon.
We want to once again bring to your kind attention that if this Act will be passed by the Senate of Pakistan, it will be un-constitutional since the claim that a “resolution had been passed from each provincial assembly through which provinces had granted National Assembly to do the legislation in this subject matter”. The so-called resolution has been passed since Agriculture is a provincial subject after the 18th Amendment.
Mr. Chairman, please note that we had inquired from Sindh Assembly Secretariat and found that that no such resolution had been passed by the Sindh Assembly. The Director of the Legislation Department of Sindh Assembly confirmed to us when we visited him on June 29, 2015 that the Sindh Assembly did not pass any resolution in this matter.
In the light of the above mentioned argument, as a veteran legislator and constitutional expert and furthermore as someone who pioneered the 18thAmendment, we hope that you will urgently scrutinise this matter. We urge your personal interest since you are known as the real fighter for provincial autonomy.
Mr. Chairman, please also find attached the letter we sent you on March 30, 2015 in which many farmers organizations and social movements in the country had pointed out many social, technical and scientific issues, which compel us to oppose this Act. Since those issues makes it anti-farmer, anti-people and anti-Pakistan. A law on agriculture must not allow multinational corporations to capture our food and agriculture system.
We, urge you once again that in the higher interest of Pakistan this Act should not be passed.
With kind regards,
Wali Haider
Secretary
Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT)
A-1 first floor, Block-2,
Gulshan-e-Iqbal Karachi