Arrest of farmers condemnable: Khursheed

LAHORE: Opposition leader in National Assembly Khurshid Shah Wednesday said the PPP Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, would himself lead the rally of the farmers if the government did not address their grievances.

Addressing the protest of Kissan Ittehad, the opposition leader condemned the arrest of farmers by the PML-N government and stated these tactics couldn’t suppress the farmers, growers who were out for the fulfillment of their just demands.

He said the movements for the restoration of rights couldn’t be blocked through arrests and stated protest was the constitutional right of farmers and action against them were a trait of dictatorial, not democratic regimes.

He also said that the government befooled the nation in the name of the Rs 341 billion Kissan package which only remained visible in media advertisements but wasn’t spent on the poor growers, farmers of Punjab.

The opposition leader said it was unfortunate that the soul of a dictator like Ziaul Haq still seemed to be alive in the present rulers who were using unfair means to crush the movement of farmers.

Khurshid Shah said that the PML-N government had no concern with the woes of the poor farmers who were feeding the entire country through hard work and labour. He added that the PPP was a pro-farmers party which would always support them and continue to raise voice for the fulfillment of their demands. He said the way farmers, growers, who constituted the backbone of our economy, were being treated was shocking and highly condemnable.

Khurshid Shah said that India was threatening that it would cancel the Indus Basin Treaty and wouldn’t give Pakistan its due water adding that India would be eliminated if it didn’t change its attitude and jingoism.

Qamar Zaman Kaira, Secretary Information of PPP, asked Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif why he wasn’t out to express solidarity with farmers now in the same way he used to do in the PPP era in form of protest against power loadshedding.

Urging the farmers to get united, Khurshid Shah said this community in India forced Modi to surrender and bow before them through unity and same was the need of hour in Pakistan.

He said if Modi can listen to the demands of Indian farmers, Modi Ka Yar will also listen to your demands. He said the PPP government gave relief to farmers despite of the opposition of Ishaq Dar and his cronies.

Former federal minister Rana Farooq Saeed said under the leadership of Chairman Bilawal, PPP will bring Kissan Raj in Pakistan. Kissan Raj will be PPP slogan for next elections. He said the price of wheat was Rs 800 when PPP came to power and it was 1300 in 2013 when the PPP left government.

He said 40 year ago, PPP had independent government in Punjab but after it, the successive governments systematically deprived of the rights of farmers given to them by Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

PPP will restore the rights of farmers, he said. Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, Nazar Gondal and other leaders also addressed the protest and attended a rally from Model Town to the Chairing Cross.

Earlier, the opposition leader had a lunch at Lahore Gymkhana. The lunch was hosted by former Punjab PPP president Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo. Senior Punjab PPP leaders including Qamar Zaman Kaira and Naveed Ch also attended the lunch.

Later, Khurshid Shah joined the Kissan Ittehad protest outside the Punjab Assembly and slammed the PML-N government for its alleged anti-farmers’ policies.

The protest was also addressed by Kissan Ittehad president Khalid Khokhar, former federal ministers Qamar Zaman Kaira, Rana Farooq Saeed, Mian Manzoor Ahmad Wattoo, Nazar Muhammad Gondal, PPP southern Punjab leader Shaukat Basra, and former secretary information, Lahore, Faisal Mir.

Former MNAs Nadeem Afzal Chan, Ch Manzoor, Samina Ghurki, MPA Faiza Malik, former MPA Dr Zia Ullah Khan Bangash and other PPP leaders participated in the protest.

According to a press release, a caravan of large number of PPP Lahore workers led by Faisal Mir joined the Kissan Ittehad protest which included a truck decorated with large pictures of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

The PPP workers knocked down all the barriers placed by the police on the roads leading to Chairing Cross and had a scuffle with police personnel at different points.

Before arrival of PPP leadership, PPP songs featuring rights of farmers were played. PPP workers and Kissan Ittehad protesters raised slogans against the rulers and in favour of the farmers.