Pakistan People’s Party will join the Kissan Ittehad movement if the government does not accept their demands, said Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, while addressing a press conference after chairing a high-level meeting of the PPP Central Punjab here Thursday.
The meeting was attended by divisional coordinators, district presidents, members of the Executive Committee and the presidents of the allied wings of the party.
He said that in the meeting total solidarity with the Kissan Ittehad was expressed adding it was demanded that the government must allow farmers to hold peaceful rally at Nasirbagh.
The meeting criticised the anti-farmers policies of the present government while maintaining that it was in collusion with those who were bent upon to destroy the agriculture of the country, which was the backbone of the economy.
The decision of the government to put the import of wheat on free list was strongly criticised by describing it as madness because the country had already enough stocks of wheat besides the new crop’s harvesting was about to start.
It was demanded of the government to delist the import of the wheat and ensure the procurement of all wheat at the rate of Rs 1,600 per forty kg from the farmers.
It was regretted in the meeting that the government was not in the mood of buying the wheat from the farmers because there was no movement to put in place arrangements for procurement of wheat. It was also demanded that the procurement should be undertaken through the government functionaries instead of through MNAs or MPAs to eliminate the political considerations.
On the question of local bodies’ elections in cantonment areas, it was decided that the PPP would fully participate in the elections. It was also demanded of the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold election in cantonment areas on party basis as per the decision of the Lahore High Court.
