ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid on Monday said that the criticism by PTI Chairman Imran Khan of Prime Minister’s `Kissan Package’ was proof of his ignorance about the problems being faced by farmers. The minister, in a statement, said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman should avoid levelling baseless allegations against the `Kissan Package” without knowing about the farmers’ basic issues and the crops cultivation season. He asked had Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif not announced the package, how would the farmers cultivate `Rabi’ crops, including wheat - the important ingredient of the two-time meals of everybody. Why was Imran Khan creating hurdles in providing two-time meal to people, he questioned. He said the government announced the `Kissan Package’ for the prosperity of the people while Imran Khan was seeing it through the lens of local government elections. The Kissan Package, he said, was also for the farmers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the LG polls had already been held. The PTI government had miserably failed to take concrete measures for providing relief to the farmers in KP, he added. He said the prime minister believed in serving the people and did not pursue the ‘politics of allegations’ like that of Imran Khan.He said the Kissan Package ensured immense benefits to the farmers, including timely cultivation of Rabi crops and compensation for the losses occurred due to price reduction in international market. He said the package not only provide financial assistance to the farmers but would also be beneficial for them due low prices of fertilizers during the Kharif season. He said Kissan Package was linked with the prosperity of farmers and that of the country, and not with the LG elections. It empowered the people and made the country prosperous. He said by ensuring prompt relief and compensation to the earthquake-hit areas, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif had proved his sincerity in serving the people.He said the prime minister used to take prompt measures for resolving the issues of people whereas Imran Khan might take belated steps. Imran tried to cure patients even they expired. He asked Imran Khan to acquaint himself about the real issues of farmers before criticising the Kissan Package. Imran Khan should better remove hurdles in implementing the package in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as he was not serving the farmers by keeping them poor and pauper, he added.
