The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has voiced its concern over the administration denying peasants associated with the Punjab Anjuman Muzareen of their right to staging a peaceful protest and convention aimed at drawing attention to the long struggle for their right to the land they have been cultivating for decades.
In a statement released on Monday, the commission said the Okara district administration disallowing a planned peasants' convention on Sunday marking the International Peasants' Day and banning the assembly of five or more people appeared to be "a ploy aimed at clamping down on dissent and to prevent the peasants from joining hands to raise their issues".
It went on to say, "Employing strong-arm tactics and using the National Action Plan against terrorism to crack down on the peasants pressing for land rights and a fairer distribution of agricultural resources appears to be aimed at pushing the peasants against the wall for demanding their rights.
"The commission strongly advises the government against employing harsh and authoritarian actions, and throwing the book at the peasants. It calls for the authorities to engage the peasants in constructive talks to find a solution to the prolonged wrangling between the Muzareen peasants and the military, which claims entitlement to the land the peasants have been tilling for generations. In any case, the commission strongly urges the authorities not to deal with the peasants under the anti-terrorism framework and to respect their right to peaceful protest and the freedom of assembly."