HAFIZABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami Provincial Deputy Secretary General Rana Tuhfa Dastgir has stated that the PMLN government has consistently implemented policies detrimental to the farmers, exploiting smallholders.
Addressing a press conference here, he criticised the current government’s legitimacy, referencing “Form 47,” and recalled last year’s wheat import order shortly after the local harvest began. Dastgir lamented the lack of transparency regarding the inquiry into last year’s wheat corruption and emphasized the vulnerability of the 40% of the population dependent on wheat cultivation.
He questioned how farmers could sustain their livelihoods if the government continued its current approach. Dastgir referenced Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Hafiz Naeemur Rehman previous protests for public relief, which he suggested led to minimal government concessions. He rejected these “lollipops” and demanded electricity provisions aligned with current unit costs. Highlighting the increased fertilizer prices against the fixed wheat rate of twenty-five hundred rupees, Dastgir warned of an impending wheat crisis if the government failed to adjust prices to cover farmers’ costs.
He urged authorities to consider the impact on farmers and the nation’s progress. Dastgir also criticised the recent increase in assembly members’ salaries while neglecting the needs of the poor. He demanded the government set the official wheat price at four thousand rupees per man and ensure its procurement at that level.
STRAY DOGS PANIC CITIZENS: A large cemetery in Hafizabad, situated along the railway line, has become infested with stray dogs, leading to the destruction of numerous graves and the violation of their sanctity, causing significant concern among the citizens.
According to reports, stray dogs are frequently seen jumping and resting on the graves in the Railway Line Cemetery, located at a central intersection, resulting in the demolition of a large number of graves, a trend that appears to be ongoing. These dogs reportedly dig soil from the graves daily and sleep in the disturbed areas, causing considerable distress to those visiting the graves of loved ones and relatives to offer prayers.
Expressing serious concern over the dilapidated state of the cemetery, the citizens have appealed to Deputy Commissioner Abdul Razzaq to clear the area of stray dogs and for the Municipal Committee to appoint watchmen to prevent further desecration of the cemetery and graves.