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Rao Khalid Mustafa calls on former governor Punjab Ch Sarwar

PTI Ch M Sarwar Pic 20-4-15Lahore : Core Committee member Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf, Muhammad Sarwar met with a delegation representing small farmers and agriculturists in Lahore to discuss issues that they are facing in Punjab today.

Muhammad Sarwar said that the Government’s role is to promote Pakistan’s economy and facilitate the farmers and agriculturists but instead it is impeding the farmers and the growth of agriculture in Pakistan.  Pakistan is an agrarian state and 44% of its workforce is related to agriculture.  Agriculture is the backbone of economy and the Government today seems to be bent in destroying this backbone.  Sugar cane growers are also treated unfairly where they are made to wait for their payments which benefits the sugar mill owners and tycoons but harms the poor growers.  The Government is doing the same to the wheat, cotton and fruit growers – they are not being paid on time hence they are not able to prepare for their next crop. The Government continues to chant slogans of good governance however the treatment of the farmers and daily wage earners goes against this.

The Government allowed imports of 7 lakh tonnes of wheat from Russia and Ukraine – harming and undermining Pakistan’s farmers and Pakistan’s wheat. The wheat that was imported was substandard and the Government manipulatively processed the wheat into flour and exported that at a subsidy of $55 per tonne. So we have actually taken the tax payers money and subsidised sub-standard wheat and no one has been held accountable for this loss to the exchequer.  Instead of importing wheat the Government should provide subsidies to the farmers for seed purchase and electricity usage.

During a meeting with the farmers and PTI ticket holder Rao Mustafa, Mr Sarwar said that the Government should be introducing best practices and should facilitate the farmers by introducing pro agriculture policies and subsidies. The common man is left at mercy of the feudals, landlords and the elite.  In Punjab it is the farmer’s dream to sell wheat at Rs 1300 per maude.  The farmers have always been mistreated and not been given their just dues.    All over the world, people holding Government portfolios are not allowed to engage in businesses or trading activity due to conflict of interest.  However in Pakistan, the majority of people running businesses and mills are those who hold a Government office.

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