HYDERABAD, Jan 18: The Sindh chapter of the South Asia Partnership will organise a long march, starting from the grave of peasant leader Comrade Haider Bux Jatoi in Hyderabad on Feb 15 and ending at the Sindh Assembly building in Karachi on Feb 27, to press the government for amending the Tenancy Act.

The provincial coordinator of the organisation, Mr Zulfiqar Shah, announced this at a news conference here on Sunday.

He said that the demand was aimed at protecting rights of the tillers of land.

He said that his organisation had prepared a memorandum in collaboration with other social welfare organisations, suggesting deletion of some clauses of the act and amendments to others.

He said the amendments had been prepared after taking peasants into confidence at the Sindh Hari Convention held in Hyderabad in December, which was attended by hundreds of peasants.

He said that the SAP had decided to hold marches in all districts of the province to mobilise public opinion and meet MPAs to muster support and persuade them to table a bill in the assembly to amend the act.

He said that well known leaders of civil society, including Asma Jehangir, I.A. Rehman and Karamat Ali and peasant leaders from Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab and the NWFP would take part in the long march from on Feb 15-27.

He said that the SAP’s movement had been supported by social welfare organisations, trade unions and political parties as well as the World Sindhi Congress and the World Sindhi Institute. The memorandum would also be presented to Pakistani ambassadors in the UK and Canada, he said.

Mr Shah said the peasantry in the agricultural country was deprived of all basic facilities and no steps had been taken by successive governments to improve their lot.