LAHORE – Pakistan Muthida Kisan Mahaz (PMKM) has announced to convene ‘All Parties Wagha Conference’ to highlight the Indian water aggression against Pakistan, failure of the government in resolving prevailing energy crisis and delay in setting up hydel and Thar-coal power projects.
It also urged the federal government to distribute Rs 2 billion amongst four provinces in the budget 2012-13 according to their size and share in the total agricultural production ensuring prosperity of the farmer and growth of agriculture.
The PMKM made this announcement in the joint communiqué issued after a rally and public meeting arranged by the organisation from Regal Chowk to Alhamra Hall on Tuesday. PMKM Chief Ayub Khan Mayo led the rally while it was participated by a large number of growers from across the country.
The PMKM chief also announced to stage a sit-in in front of the Parliament on the day of the federal budget to press the government for acceptance of demand.
Speaking on this occasion, the PMKM leaders said that prosperity of Pakistan’s economy and stability of its industrial sector lies in the agricultural production. He claimed that no terrorism or crisis could damage Pakistan provided it maintains self-reliance in agricultural production and eatables. He said that the PMKM strongly condemned the steps of the present government which resulted in 120 per cent increase in the agricultural inputs during its regime. He said this assembly of the growers’ demands that subsidy on electricity, diesel, fertiliser and other agricultural inputs should be restored and a method should be evolved that it should reach direct to the growers.
The communiqué issued on this occasion said that growers strongly condemn the alleged bid to abolish federal ministry of agriculture and food and said that abolishing this ministry and Kalabagh Dam project is aimed at destroying the national economy. It said that growers also condemn the silence of the Pakistani government against Indian water aggression that wanted to turn Pakistani fertile lands in desert by violating the 1960 Indus Basin Water Treaty and constructing dams on the Chenab, Jhelum and Sindh rivers.
Growers’ rally also condemned delay in setting up hydel power projects in the country and absence of the Chamber of Agriculture throughout the country especially in the Punjab. They observed that absence of such a chamber is depriving farmers from raising voice for their rights and having any control over the prices of agricultural produce or marketing mechanism.
Speakers at the rally also warned that if the government failed to stop India from its water aggression against Pakistan, then it would launch an organised movement and hold ‘Kisan March’, which would continue till the fall of the present government in Islamabad.
Those who participated in the march included Shahzad Shafi, Imtiaz Hussain, Malik Saleem Mattoo, Iqbal Awan, Sardar Mohsin Satti, Chaudhry Tahir Razzak, Malik Tassawar Awan, Ch Akhtar Ali, Akmal Fatiana and Mirza Jameel.