Younis Iqbal
Younis Iqbal is the founder and chairman of Anjuman Muzareen Punjab (AMP), a movement comprising over 100,000 members that is trying to ensure the land rights and welfare of landless peasants and small farmers in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The land where these disadvantaged communities work and live is currently owned by the Pakistani military. AMP is lobbying against unfair share-cropping arrangements and in favour of the communities’ socio-economic development. Younis Iqbal was previously arrested in 2001 for his work with AMP.
Pakistan’s record of impunity has emboldened hostile actors and fostered an increasingly violent climate for HRDs, who face high risks including killing, arbitrary arrest and detention, abduction and kidnapping, surveillance, threats and judicial harassment. The government of Pakistan has made no real effort to support or protect their work and instead regularly votes against UN resolutions aimed at providing better protection for HRDs.
