Farmers demand cut in interest on loans

MARDAN: Office-bearers of Anjuman-e-Kashtkaran on Sunday demanded the prime minister and finance and economic affairs minister to decrease the rate of interest on agriculture loans and provide relief to the farmers of the province.

Addressing a meeting here, the union president, Naimat Shah Roghani, vice-president Zahir Shah Mohmand, Farman Ali Khan, Syed Abdal Shah, Alam Sher Khan, Noor Rehman, Zahir Mohammad and other office-bearers said that farmers paid 18 percent interest and other taxes on agriculture loans to the banks. They demanded the government to waive off agriculture loans up to Rs0.5 million to the poor farmers and also reduce the ratio of interest on agricultural loans. Meanwhile, Member Provincial Council of Pakistan People’s Party Syed Abid Ali Shah said that Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had joined several parties in the past several years and had no ideology. In a statement, he said that the PPP “Jiyalas” are not afraid of jails. He said the rulers should start work for the welfare of the masses and avoid political revenge. He added that PPP is a symbol of the federation and a democratic party and the party leaders have even sacrificed their lives in the past.