ISLAMABAD, April 1: The Anjuman Mazarain Punjab (AMP), People's Rights Movement (PRM) and All-Pakistan Alliance of Kutchi Abadis held a demonstration outside the Parliament on Thursday.

The demonstration was led by AMP vice-president Nadeem Ashraf of the Renala Khurd Military Farm. The protesters were joined by a number of parliamentarians who expressed their continuing support for the tenant's movement, and vowed to resist any state repression.

Mr Ashraf told the MNAs that the authorities had recently attacked and injured tenants at the Multan Military Farm. He said the most recent incident was a likely precursor to suppression on the part of the authorities on all farms during the wheat harvesting season.

The ANP leader said, during the last two wheat harvesting seasons, tension prevailed at many farms including Renala Khurd Military Farm, Okara Military Farm, and Pirowal Seed Farm in Khanewal.

He said the tenants would not give up any of their harvest share or pay cash rents to the authorities. The movement of civil disobedience will continue till ownership rights are given to the tenants, he added.

Mr Ashraf asked the Parliamentarians to ensure action against all government and military officials responsible for the attacks in Multan besides those in the past three years that had resulted in the deaths of at least nine tenants.

The Parliamentarians should try and empower the Punjab Board of Revenue to dispose of the land. The PRM representatives stressed that the manner in which the military continued to claim control of almost 27,000 acres known as military farms in Lahore, Sargodha, Multan and Okara was symptomatic of the military's lack of accountability.

The kutchi abadi alliance representatives expressed solidarity with the tenants pointing out that their struggle for ownership rights was directly linked to the tenants' struggle. People's Party Parliamentarians MNA Sherry Rehman joined the demonstration and expressed solidarity with the tenants.