Islamabad - Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday urged the international community to holistically counter Islamophobia.
”Saddened to learn of the killing of a Muslim Pakistani-origin Canadian family in London, Ontario”, Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote in a tweet.
“This condemnable act of terrorism reveals the growing Islamophobia in Western countries,” he stated. According to the Canadian police, the family killed in a hit-and-run incident was targeted for being Muslim. The family had emigrated from Pakistan to Canada 14 years ago.
On June 6, 20-year-old Nathaniel Veltman, jumped the curb in his vehicle on Sunday, struck five members of the family, ranging in age from 9 to 74, and then drove off at high speed.
Veltman, a resident of London who was arrested after the incident, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. Police have not yet released the victims names, but the London Free Press said that among the dead were Syed Afzaal, 46, his wife, Madiha Salman, 44, and their 15-year-old daughter, Yumnah Afzaal.
Syed Afzaal’s 74-year-old mother, whose name is not yet confirmed, also died. Their 9-year-old son, Faez Afzaal, is in the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday assured the farmers that government would leave no stone unturned in resolving their problems in order to boost agriculture production in the country.
Talking to a delegation of farmers, who called on him here, Imran Khan said that latest technology will be introduced for the farmers with the help of China.
The Prime Minister further said that government is paying attention towards the promotion of solarisation across the country to facilitate farmers.
The Prime Minister describing agriculture sector as one of the major contributors in economic growth expressed his government’s commitment to protect the country’s growers from the exploitation of cartels and mafias.
“As there is a difference between profits and profiteering, the government will protect you from the exploitation of cartels and mafias,” Imran Khan assured the representative of farmers.
The Prime Minister expressed his belief that the country’s socio-economic progress was linked with enhanced development of agriculture and industrial sectors.
He said industrialisation is of vital importance for wealth creation, which will lead to the country’s development.
He, however, added that as per the law of Allah Almighty, the nations which did not follow the rule of law and justice could not progress.
The Prime Minister in that respect also referred to a saying of Hazrat Ali (RA) that the rule of infidelity can survive but not a system of injustice.
He further said that despite raise in sugar prices, growers of sugarcane in the past did not even get the support price due to cartelization of industry, which sold the commodity at higher rates and did not pay due taxes.
The Prime Minister said corruption of rulers destroys the country and his struggle is against corruption.
The Prime Minister said his 25 years of struggle has been against the corruption and corrupt rulers, adding, it was unfortunate that the rulers in developing countries or the third world indulged in corruption and stashed the peoples resources abroad.
“When people come in politics and power for corruption, then the country cannot achieve development,” he said.
The Prime Minister mentioned the investigation initiated by the present government against sugar mafia through the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and said they even started threatening FIA of further increasing the price of sugar.
He said as the country would progress with the development and promotion agriculture sector, the present government ensured the payment of support price to the growers of all commodities.
The Prime Minister said it was due to the government’s policies that except cotton, the country achieved record production of various crops including wheat, rice, maize and sugarcane this year, bringing prosperity in rural areas.
He assured the farmers that the government would take all measures for the development and promotion of agriculture sector including its modernisation with the cooperation of China.
The Prime Minister said that the development of agriculture sector on modern lines has been made part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
He further said that the government would work on the duty-free import of agricultural equipment and tools from China and benefit from their expertise to develop our livestock sector as well.
The Prime Minister assured the farmers representatives that he and his team would continue to interact with them.
The delegation whole heartedly appreciated the Prime Minister for his intervention, which led to the passage of Sugar Factories Control (Amendment) Act 2021 by the Punjab Assembly, giving a direct benefit of Rs 80 to 90 billion to sugarcane growers in the province.
They pointed out that no government or leader in the past took so much pain to protect the interests of the growers.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Minister for National Food Security Syed Fakhar Imam, Minister of State for Information Farrukh Habib, Special Assistants to Prime Minister Jamshed Cheema and Dr. Shehbaz Gill were also present in the meeting with farmers representatives.