LAHORE: Former president and PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Central Punjab President Manzoor Wattoo have condemned the manhandling and arrest of farmers in Lahore protesting against rise in pesticide prices and demanded immediate release of all detained farmers and action against those responsible.

Farmers have every right to hold a peaceful protest demonstration to demand justice and those who manhandled and bundled them into prison vans have transgressed authority and must be brought to book, Zardari said in a statement on Thursday.

The former president deplored as ‘criminal’ the continued neglect of the agriculture sector and farmers by the present government that, what he sees, has led to deep sense of frustration among farmers and steep decline of agriculture in the country.

“As a result of the government policies, the farmers growing potatoes, wheat and rice have been worst affected,” he said and warned “the continued apathy towards agriculture sector would result in slump in the national economy and unrest in the rural areas”.

He said the government was victimising farmers because the PPP government always supported them. “The PPP support to farmers increased national wealth as well as the purchasing power of the rural people and ushering in prosperity,” he said. The PPP government’s policies of increasing wheat support price and fixing tariff for tubewells at eight rupees per unit enabled the country to become self sufficient in wheat and brought prosperity to farmers.

He said rice growers were groaning but the government had not yet fulfilled its promise of subsidy of five thousand rupees per maund to them and asked the government to fulfill its promise without delay.

Wattoo warned the PPP would join the movement of Kisan Ittehad if the Punjab government continues ignoring their demands.

He expressed solidarity with the Kisan Ittehad at a press conference and asked the government to allow farmers to hold a peaceful rally at Nasser Bagh.

He criticised anti-farmers policies by the PML-N government and said it was bent upon destroying the agriculture of the country which was the backbone of the economy.

“The decision to put the import of wheat on free list is madness because the country has already enough stocks of wheat besides new crop’s harvesting is about to start,” Wattoo said, demanding the government remove wheat from the import list and ensure procurement of it at the rate of Rs1,600 per 40kg from farmers.

About Cantonment council polls, he said the PPP would fully participate in it. He urged the Election Commission to hold election in cantonment areas on a party basis as per the decision of the Lahore High Court.

PTI: Scores of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers led by Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed participated in the farmers’ protest and announced party’s full support till the acceptance of their demands.

Speaking at the protest demonstration in Sunder area on Multan Road, Rasheed said the PTI supported the demands of farmers, clerks and the visually-impaired persons.

He regretted that all segments of society had been compelled to come out on roads to protest against the government’s failed policies. He said the day was not far when people would bring down the rulers.

Later, speaking to media persons, he said the PML-N government had not fulfilled any promise made during its general election campaign. He said the situation could improve if the rulers would start focusing on public welfare instead of making money.

Meanwhile, PTI Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhry also condemned the Punjab police baton-charge of the farmers who were protesting outside the Lahore Press Club.

He said it was a shameful act that the Punjab police not only beat them but also detained them.

“Shahbaz is such an actor that he first orders the Punjab police to beat peaceful protesters, whether they are blind people, doctors or farmers, and then takes notice of baton-charge and asks police to release the detained,” Chaudhry said. He observed the Punjab police had become an armed wing of Khadam-i-Aala and being used for political gains.

PTI General-Secretary Dr Yasmin Rashid said the farmers’ protest was justified and they had every right to protest against the government policies. “But in Sharif brothers style of democracy no one is allowed to raise his or her voice and if some one dares so then the police manhandle them just to please their political boss, she said.

Information Secretary Andleeb Abbas said farming had always been country’s economic engine and if the government would continue with its anti-farmer polices then Pakistan’s economy would collapse. It was due to the anti-farmer polices that the Punjab agriculture growth had been the lowest in the four provinces, she said.

Condemning the police baton-charge of protesters, she said the Punjab police needed to rethink its role and should perform within professional sphere.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2015

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