The Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC) has concluded its 4th Federal Congress in Lahore, electing new leadership and announcing nationwide mobilisation against corporate farming, land grabbing, and the deepening agrarian crisis.
The two-day Congress, held on Jan 3-4, was attended by around 170 delegates representing 35 farmers’ and rural workers’ organisations from across Pakistan.
Participants reviewed the country’s political, economic, agrarian, and environmental challenges, blaming IMF-driven neoliberal policies for rising input costs, falling farm incomes, and increased pressure on small farmers and tenants.
Delegates strongly criticised the expansion of corporate farming and land acquisition under initiatives such as the Green Pakistan Initiative, warning that these projects are displacing farmers and privatising land and water resources, particularly in Punjab and Sindh. Climate-related issues, including floods, water scarcity, and soil degradation, were also discussed, with speakers noting that rural communities are suffering the most.
The Congress approved PKRC’s manifesto and constitution and elected a new federal leadership. Tariq Mahmood was elected President, Riffat Maqsood as General Secretary, Qamar Abbas as Joint Secretary, and Husnain Jameel Faridi as Information Secretary, along with four provincial vice presidents.
The Congress announced countrywide protests on March 28, against corporate farming, land grabbing, unfair crop prices, lack of a guaranteed minimum support price, and deregulated agricultural markets. It also declared that PKRC’s Punjab Provincial Congress will be held on April 17, 2026, coinciding with the International Day of Peasant Struggles.
PKRC reaffirmed its commitment to a united, peasant-led movement based on food sovereignty, equitable land distribution, and the rights of farmers and rural workers across Pakistan
This is an excerpt of a news item first published on DAWN.com