MULTAN City News

Bosan criticises Imran for boycotting

Turkish president’s address to Parliament

From Our Correspondent

MULTAN: Federal Minister for Food Security and Research Malik Sikandar Hayat Bosan has criticised PTI chairman Imran Khan for boycotting the Turkish president’s address to the Parliament.

Talking to journalists here on Monday, the federal minister alleged Imran Khan was defaming Pakistan around the globe by showing new practices in the Parliament. Sikandar Bosan said that the major objective of PTI chairman was to defame Pakistan at international level. Imran Khan was power hungry and he wants to become ruler at any cost, he blamed. He disclosed that he quit the PTI because of Imran Khan’s attitude. He alleged that Imran was a dictator in his party and he did not care about his party men opposing his decisions. Earlier, addressing a consultative session on formulation of agriculture policy hosted by Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture at Multan Central Cotton Research Institute, the minister said that the Plant Breeders Rights Act would be soon tabled in the National Assembly for final approval to protect the rights of farmers at all levels. The minister said that he had worked on the Plant Breeders Act in 2007 before removal of PML-N government but later the PPP government did not take interest in the enactment of law. The PML-N government again came into power in 2013 and he started work on the PBA, he maintained. Now, he added, the act had been finalised and soon it would be presented in the National Assembly for approval. The Punjab government was implementing policies to reduce farmers’ cost of production, he added. He said that farmers’ profit would solve all problems related to agriculture. The minister suggested establishment of permanent department in the forthcoming agriculture policy to assess the farmers’ cost of production on constant basis. While opposing the role of middleman in agriculture, Bosan said that the role should be completely removed from agriculture sector. Sikandar Bosan said that the government was keenly monitoring agriculture and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had introduced farmer-friendly policies and had provided relief to the growers. Earlier, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmed Khan presented the salient features of the proposed agriculture policy. Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmed Khan said that the new agriculture policy would submit a solution to agriculture loans. He said that the new agriculture policy would introduce soft mark up policy for farmers. A number of growers came from Multan and south Punjab districts complained that farmers had not been honored at any level and they were crushed financially. They criticised the role of middleman and demanded complete removal of his role in the new agriculture policy.