LAHORE, Feb 4: Speakers at the Pakistan Kisan Conference held at the Minar-i- Pakistan here on Sunday called feudalism a major hurdle to the introduction of “real” democracy in the country and demanded land reforms and equitable distribution of canal water among farmers.

Several rights and civil society activists addressed the conference wherein a large number of farmers were present.

Speakers said that democracy could not flourish in the country in the presence of the colonial feudal system which was the root cause of social injustice and serious economic and political problems.

They said that the feudal class and capitalists were working together to exploit workers and peasants under the protection of military rulers. Plans to implement enlightened moderation would fail unless the agrarian economy was liberated from the stranglehold of multinationals and feudalis, they said. The armed forces and their subsidiaries possessed 12.5 per cent land in the country, they added.

According to speakers, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was playing a dual role, saying even though it posed to be an opponent of feudalism but was sharing power with them.

They said government’s policies were resulting in increase in poverty and unemployment and industrialists had been given a licence to flout the labour laws.

They said agricultural land was being doled out to multinationals for corporate farming which had rendered a large number of peasants jobless. The rural areas had 75 per cent population of the country but rulers were not interested in their development.

They urged rural and urban working classes to work for the achievement of rights and stressed the need to launch a resistance movement against what they called undue influence of military in polity, economy and society. They said that if the working class wanted to change the unjust system, it was imperative for it to organise politically.

They said that rights could only be realised if the US-backed establishment was confronted in an effective manner.

The conference adopted resolutions demanding land reforms, fixing the ownership ceiling of canal-irrigated land at 25 acres and rain-fed at 50 acres, discontinuation of allotment of state land to armed forces personnel, formulation of agricultural policies in consultation with farmers and end to excesses against the tenants of military farms in Okara, Renala Khurd, Deepalpur and Pakpattan. The conference condemned the forcible acquisition of Kot Pindi Das land for an auto plant and privatisation of canal water.

Resolutions demanding reduction in prices of agricultural inputs, grant of soft loans for farming, recovery of water cess in accordance with the area under cultivation and restoration of concession and subsidies withdrawn from agriculture sector.

The event was marked by poetry and songs specifically targeting what the lyricists called US backing of the current political dispensation. Prominent speakers were: Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Chairperson Asma Jehangir, Pakistan Workers’ Party President Abid Hassan Manto, Pakistan Labour Party Secretary-General Farooq Tariq, Pakistan Workers’ Federation Secretary-General Khurshid Ahmed, Pakistan Kisan Committee President Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad, Mutthida Labour Federation President Altaf Baloch, Bhatta Labour Union President Bashir Zafar, Safdar Sindhu, Shaukat Chaudhry, Afzal Khamosh, Mehr Abdul Sattar, Bushra Khaliq, Zahida Sheikh, Yousaf Baloch, Amjad Farooq , Asghar Ali Inqilabi, Cahudhry Naeeam Shakir and Shabbir Sajid.