PTI calls govt anti-farmer, sees nothing for farm sector in budget

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf spokesman Sheikh Waqas Akram Wednesday said the agriculture sector had been totally ignored in the budget and noting has been envisaged in it for the farmer community.

During news conference here, he claimed that nothing had been earmarked in the budget for the farmer community, already on the receiving end while all the agriculture exports had decreased significantly. And, he regretted that the farmer, who was already faced with difficulties, had been charged with GST on solar.

“Every sector of agriculture is being destroyed one by one; all our agricultural exports have decreased significantly. There is nothing for farmers in this budget who are already devastated, cotton production has decreased by 31 per cent and wheat production by 13pc,” he lamented.

The PTI spokesman said that the government is anti-farmer, as its policies are against farmers, whose share in the labour force is 37pc while farmers voted for PTI in the February 8 elections.

Waqas Akram also raised the question of where the foreign exchange will come from to meet the shortage of food grains; farmers have suffered a loss of Rs2200 billion. He contended that this attitude towards farmers is, in fact, enmity not only with them but with Pakistan.

The PTI spokesman said that cotton production has come down from 30 million to 10 million bales, farmers’ children are starving, who will compensate farmers’ losses?

He wondered that have the prices of tractors and tube-wells decreased or increased; the farmer, who is getting a tractor at three times the price, has also been imposed a solar duty as well.

Separately, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan said Pakistan’s budget is a robbery on the hard-earned money of the poor.

Talking to the media outside the Islamabad High Court, he complained that they were not given any budget document; the whole process was illegal and that the government employees were protesting in Islamabad on the day of presentation of the budget.

He pointed out that while the budget of the Prime Minister’s House increased by 17pc, the salaries of government employees were increased by just 10pc.

Omar Ayub noted that the trials, which were to be held in Adiala Jail and the Islamabad High Court, were cancelled and a case was scheduled for June 5, but then the hearing was rescheduled for June 11.

Omar Ayub questioned, “If judges are not allowed to hear us, what constitution and what rule of law remains?” He said the manner in which things are being conducted is unbecoming of a republic. “No high-handed actions can diminish the stature of the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi,” he added.

He said that Bushra Bibi is being provided with dirty water and bad food in the summer and that she is not being allowed to meet her relatives and friends, whereas the political leadership is not allowed to meet the party founder.