LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Farmers Wing on Saturday announced its supportfor the Kisan Ittehad’s planned march on Islamabad on Sept 25, calling for coordination between the two sides to press the government over farmers’ concerns.
Waqas Mahmood Maan, information secretary of the PTI Punjab Farmers Wing, said the party would extend ‘unconditional support’ to the farmers’ protest. He also invited the Kisan Ittehad leadership to coordinate with PTI ahead of the march, saying leaders of both sides could meet to formulate a joint strategy aimed at putting pressure on the government.
The Kisan Ittehad announced the planned ‘million march’ during a press conference at the National Press Club last week. Its leaders criti-cised the Punjab government’s agricultural policies, which they described as flawed and harmful to the farming sector.
‘We will not return without the chief minister’s resignation,’ the farmers’ representatives said, alleging that government policies had pushed the agriculture sector towards collapse.
They demanded that the protection of agricultural land, water resources and farmers be made a national priority. They also called for the withdrawal of cases and FIRs registered against farmers and urged the government not to hold farmers responsible for policy failures.
‘If farmers are forced to abandon cultivation, the country could face a major food crisis,’ Kisan Ittehad Chairman Khalid Hussain and Central President Umair Masood said at the presser.-Staff Reporter