Peasants at Chak Katora Farm: PKRC warns of resistance against ‘forced evictions’

LAHORE: The Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC) has strongly condemned “illegal and unjust” eviction notices issued to peasants at Chak Katora Farm in Hasilpur, describing the move as part of a broader pattern of land dispossession under corporate farming initiatives.

In a statement issued on Monday, the committee alleged that farmers have been ordered to vacate their homes and cultivated land within 30 days, warning that the action reflects coercive use of state authority rather than administrative enforcement.

According to the PKRC, the affected peasants have been cultivating the land for generations and have developed local rural economies through sustained agricultural activity.

“They are now being treated as trespassers on land they have long inhabited and farmed,” the statement said.

The organisation further claimed that announcements made through mosques regarding a possible operation involving law enforcement, including the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) and police, have heightened fear among residents. It described the situation as one of “intimidation and psychological pressure” on rural communities.

The PKRC linked the development to what it called an ongoing nationwide trend of transferring agricultural land to corporate entities, military-linked enterprises, and agribusiness investors under the banner of modernisation. It argued that such policies risk displacing small farmers and consolidating land ownership in fewer hands.

Calling the process “systematic land grabbing,” the committee maintained that land made productive through decades of peasant labour is being repurposed for commercial interests, potentially rendering local farmers landless and economically vulnerable.

The organisation warned of resistance, stating that peasant communities across Punjab and other provinces have historically opposed evictions and would continue to do so. It added that the current situation could trigger wider mobilisation involving farmers, labour groups, and civil society organisations.

The PKRC demanded immediate withdrawal of eviction notices, recognition of peasants’ cultivation and occupancy rights, and a halt to forced evictions linked to corporate farming projects. It also called for agrarian reforms aimed at land redistribution and protection of smallholders.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026