The Government of Sindh did not give more lands to peasants in 2016 even to their own voters. In April 2015, the PAS passed the Sindh Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Bill; which, in 2016, after the assent of the Governor of Sindh, became the Sindh Bonded Labour System Abolition Act (SBLSAA) 2016. In 2000, there were an estimated 1.8 million bonded peasants (sharecroppers) in Sindh, and 6.8 million tenants were performing caste based labour without pay. The leaders of Nationalist political parties who claim to be the champions of peasants’ rights had also given land to peasants but without a formal agreement under the STA. The number of bonded peasants released in recent years – 2014 (275 peasants), 2015 (132 peasants) and 2016 (257 peasants) – has decreased significantly compared to 2013 when 1,260 bonded peasants were released on the orders of the courts.

Source: Pakistan Today December 09, 2017 16:30 UTC