PESHAWAR/CHARSADDA: A large number of farmers and workers of Mazdoor Kisan Party hailing from Charsadda held a protest in the provincial capital on Monday against the forced eviction of peasants from the agricultural lands allegedly by an influential landlord. They demanded of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the matter.

The protesters holding banners demanded of the provincial government to protect their rights. They said that the district revenue officer, senior member Board of Revenue and Supreme Court had declared that around 521`jereb` of agricultural land and some residential area was government property so it could neither be owned by any private landlord or sold out.

However, they said that family of Ghulam Qadir Khan, who was appointed as numberdar (malik to collect taxes) by the British before partition, later, somehow transferred the property in his name.

The protesters said that the old land record showed that it was governmentowned property. `The DRO, SMBR and even the Supreme Court after hearing four appeals had declared this land as government property, yet the local influential family was evicting and harassing the farmers working on the land,` said Asif Khan, general secretary of Mazdoor Kisan Party.

`They have filed an execu-tion suit. The issue is pending before court yet they are harassing us,` added Asif.

Khan Saib, an elderly farmer, said that if the present provincial government took sides with the landlord and didn`t implement the SC decision in this respect then they would agitate.

Pervez, a young farmer, said that peasants were at risk of losing their livelihood.

Ashfaq Ahmed, another young man from Naway Kili area of Charsadda, said that around standing sugarcane crop on 22 `jerab` of land was destroyed by the influential landlord and farmers were harassed. `There will be bloodshed if the government doesn`t resolve this matter, he warned.

In Charsadda, the women and children of farmers from Bahadar Kalli Shakar Dhand blocked Charsadda road to protest against the forced eviction of peasant families from their lands.

A large number of women along with their children gathered at Farooq Azam chowk of Charsadda bazaar and blocked the main road.

They threatened to commit self-immolation outside the KP assembly if they were not given justice.

The protesting women said that their forefathers made the barren lands cultivable after untiring efforts, but now the so-called owners were forcing them to leave their properties. The women said people of the landlord`s family had destroyed their sugarcane crop. They alleged that several families were forced to live under the open sky.