PESHAWAR: The Mazdoor Kisan Party (MKP) has voiced concerns over eviction and arrest of tenants and farmers in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under State Acquisition and Tenancy (Amendment) Act, 2014.

Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Thursday, MKP chairman Kamil Bangash demanded of the government to release the imprisoned peasants and political activists.

He said that peasants were forcibly evicted following implementation of the Act in the province. He said earlier courts had decided the cases regarding tenants in light of an agreement between peasants and landowners, signed back in 1950.

Mr Bangash said that the new tenancy law was passed by provincial assembly in haste and without consent of relevant stakeholders. He said that the law was misused by land owners. He said that a large number of tenants and agriculture workers were evicted in different parts of the province under the said law.

Mr Bangash also condemned arrest of some of the political activists and said that police action against the farmers might create law and order situation. He demanded immediate halt to police action against the tenants.

Flanked by tenants and agriculture workers, the MKP chairman said that crackdown was launched in Tangi tehsil of Charsadda under the tenancy law and a large number of tenants were evicted. He said that local people including women and children held protest demonstrations to resist police action against them.

Mr Bangash said that fabricated cases under anti-terrorism law were registered against the MKP leaders including Salar Amjad Ali, his brother Fayaz Ali and other political workers. They were sent to prison, he added.

He demanded of PTI chairman Imran Khan and Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to issue order for withdrawal of fake cases against MKP and other political parties forthwith to avert any untoward incident in the area.

Published in Dawn, Aprill 13th, 2018