Widespread protests broke out across more than 100 cities in Pakistan on Friday after the Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee called for nationwide demonstrations to observe the International Day of Peasant Struggles, according to Dawn. Farmers gathered in large numbers to oppose what they termed anti-farmer policies and to demand urgent reforms aimed at safeguarding their livelihoods.

As reported by the media outlet, protesters demanded that the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat be set at PKR 4,000 per maund. They also rejected corporate farming initiatives and called for the cancellation of eviction notices issued to tenant farmers. In addition, they opposed the government’s plan to outsource wheat procurement to 11 private companies, warning that it could further disadvantage small-scale farmers.

Demonstrations were held across Punjab, including in Lahore, Multan, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, and Sargodha. Similar protests took place in Sindh cities such as Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, and Thatta, reflecting growing dissatisfaction among farming communities. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, rallies were reported in Peshawar, Swat, Abbottabad, and Bannu, while in Balochistan, protests were seen in Quetta, Mastung, and Kalat, highlighting the nationwide scale of mobilisation.

Speaking at a rally in Lahore, PKRC General Secretary Riffat Maqsood criticised the government, calling its two-year tenure highly detrimental for farmers. She accused authorities of overlooking rural communities and favouring corporate interests over small farmers, as cited by Dawn. Farmer organisations warned that continued government inaction could worsen the agricultural crisis and lead to intensified protests in the future, amid rising costs, unstable crop prices, and climate-related pressures facing the farming sector.