AVIN' A PEASANT TIME During the 1970's a number of peasant struggles started in Pakistan, with the most successful and militant land-grab taking place in Hashtnangar, an area close to the Pakistan-Afghan border. Organised by the Mazdoor Kissan Party (MKP), the peasants were able to liberate the area from feudal land-owners, who had always brutally oppressed the poor with the full backing of the state. Since those days, Hashtnagar remains a liberated area despite several attempts by the state to evict the peasants, with nearly 300 people losing their lives in 30 years of conflict. Taking advantage of the "War-Against-Terrorism" hysteria, the Pakistani government is once again trying to take-over the lands of Hashtnagar. They also aim to retake Okkara, Khanewal, Sargodha and Pak-pattan in other parts of the country in order to reverse gains made by the peasant movement in Pakistan over the past 10 years.. On 22nd January, 3,500 police armed with guns, tear-gas shells, armoured vehicles and jeeps attacked the village. Tractors were used to destroy peasant crops. MKP party activists and students surrounded the armoured vehicles to stop them firing into the crowd. Police attacked another village several kilometers away in the hope that they would have an easier time of it since the men of the village weren't around. The peasant women attacked the convoy and again the police had to retreat. The same night police arrested a peasant leader called Gulab Gul. In retaliation peasants attacked a police convoy, capturing some police officers, before going on to raid the police station where Gul was being held. Peasants then threatened to burn down the police station if their leader was not released! The entire area was surrounded by police arresting people who hadn't even participate in the fighting. 16 arrests were made in total, 8 of which were of people so old they couldn't even walk properly without support. The situations is very tense and may erupt into full scale armed conflict at any time. www.ptb.be/international/
