Points to Ponder May 2024

Wheat Fiasco The month is marked by many critical happenings pertaining to political economy of agriculture. The issue of wheat importation as well as lack of wheat procurement from farmers, which had also been discussed in the previous issue, deserves further attention. Many aspects of the wheat fiasco are worth highlighting. First, that the shortfall in the amount of wheat …

World Foodless Day 2024

The Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT) is marking the “World Hunger Day’ on October 16, 2024 – a day which is marked by the United Nations as the World Food Day. However, the global data by the same esteemed organization gives a poor condition of food security, globally and in Pakistan, which has been ranked 109th out of 127 nations in …

Points to Ponder April 2024

Wheat as Food or Wheat as Lucre? The country is going through a period of dismal debt and economic crisis that is further worsened by the climate crisis. Government policies do not necessarily help in alleviating the dire situation. While the government had been expecting a bumper wheat crop, and directives were given for ‘good price’ for the farmers, and …

On the Occassion of the United Nations Summit of the Future

The International League of Peoples’ Struggle stands with the people across the globe who face impacts of the intensifying imperialist wars of aggression and the climate, food and debt crises that have left the masses devastated. Millions of people, especially the working class, the peasantry, and migrant workers face loss of livelihood and land, being forced into modern slavery, living …

Feminism and the Sustainable World

by: Shobha Shukla Recently, over 500 feminist leaders from 38 countries across Asia and the Pacific region gathered in Chiang Mai, Thailand at the 4th Asia Pacific Feminist Forum (APFF 2024) to deliberate upon their collective journeys for building a world that is free of patriarchy, corporate capitalism, imperialism and colonialism, militarism and religious fundamentalism.A feminist fossil-fuel free world is …

The Asian Peasant Coalition and the ILPS Commission 6 express its solidarity with the Bangladeshi peoples’ movement

The Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) and the ILPS Commission 6 (Peasant Commission) express its support and solidarity with the peoples’ movement in Bangladesh that successfully overthrew the repressive government of Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina. In the frontlines of which are the youth and students who successfully consolidated and mobilized themselves at the national scale to fight for genuine change in …

Point to Ponder March 2024

Women’s Rights or Corporate rights? In the recent months the focus on women farmers remains a stream. A class analysis of rural women has put them in three categories: land owners, workers on family farms, and landless labor. The first category is no doubt the smallest category, but is representative of the powerful feudal base of the country, enjoying fruits …

Commercialisation of genetically modified sugar cane crops strongly opposed

KARACHI: Highlighting the hazards of genetically modified (GM) crops, the Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT) has urged the National Biosafety Commission (NBC) to reject the proposal for commercialisation of two GM sugar cane crops. In a press release, the PKMT stated that it strongly opposed the recent move of the Technical Advisory Committee, operating under the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), …

Points to Ponder February 2024

Export, Starve, Export The current fiscal year (FY) has shown a consistent increase in export of raw food products. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the food export value has more than doubled to $787.36 million in January, up 105.29 per cent from $383.54m in the same month last year. Food exports grew 57.66 percent in the first seven …

Points to Ponder January 2024

Unabating Debt With the start of a new year, the situation in the country sees no real change in terms of economic stability. It is unfortunate that in 75 years, it has gone to the IMF 23 times for financial bailout programs. The State Bank of Pakistan has received the second tranche of $700 million, which is approximately equivalent to …