LAHORE -Wheat growers demonstrated in 30 districts across the country on Tuesday, demanding the initiation of a procurement drive and the arrest of individuals implicated in the scam that occurred during the interim setup.
The demonstrations were called by the Pakistan Kisan Rabita Committee.
Farmers from Punjab congregated in Lahore, Multan, Bahawalpur, Vehari, Jhang, Pakpattan, Chiniot, Kasur, Khanewal, Bahawalnagar, Dera Ghazi Khan, Burewala, Chishtian, and Jampur.
In Sindh, growers took to the streets of Karachi, Shikarpur, Nawabshah, Qamber, Shahdadkot, Nowshehru Feroze, Mirpurkhas, Dadu, Sanghar, and Shahpur Chakar.
Protests took place in Quetta and Jhal Magsi, as well as Peshawar and Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In Lahore, hundreds of farmers, including men, women, and children, gathered on The Mall in front of the Punjab Assembly. They requested that the Punjab government immediately commence wheat purchase.
Addressing the demonstrators, committee general secretary Farooq Tariq presented the farmers’ charter of demands, which included immediate start of purchasing wheat from farmers; arrest of those involved in import before harvest season; market regulation to ensure fair price of each produce; withdrawal of grain import policy for private sector; minimum support price for all crops; rejection of the International Monetary Fund’s ‘neoliberal’ and ‘anti-farmer’ policies.
Saima Zia, Rifat Maqsood, Qamar Abbas, Zaigham Abbas, Hasnain Jameel, Ali Abdullah, and others spoke at the demonstration in Lahore.
A large police contingent was there for the occasion.
