• The party will not tolerate the exploitation of producers, Gohar votes
• Sheikh Waqqas says that Imran can call the protest at any time
Islamabad: The PTI has criticized the government for “destroying” the agricultural sector and asked farmers to prepare for a “decisive” protest movement for their rights.
These comments were made by PTI leaders at a farmers convention held on Wednesday, one day after the federal budget was announced.
The Government announced several measures in the budget to support the agricultural sector, including the decision not to impose a general sales tax (GST) on fertilizers and pesticides to reduce the cost of contributions for farmers.
However, farmers have called the measures, which reached the back of the low performance of the sector last year, inappropriate.
In the outgoing year, the production of main crops was reduced by 13.5pc, which restricted the general growth rate of GDP by 0.6pc.
During Wednesday’s event, PTI’s leadership criticized the Government for the poor performance of the sector and said the moment has arrived for a decisive battle to “free” the country from the “exploiting forces” imposed on him.
The president of the PTI, the lawyer Gohar Khan, the secretary general Salman Akram Raja, the central information secretary, Sheikh Waqas Akram, along with other PTI legislators and representatives of farmers, went to the event at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa house on Wednesday.
Gohar said that a significant portion of the population was based directly or indirectly on the agricultural sector for their livelihood.
However, the successive governments “had constantly neglected the vital sector” that served as a backbone of the national economy. He emphasized the need to modernize the agricultural sector to guarantee food security, emphasizing that practical measures should be taken in war.
Mr. Gohaha promised that PTI would not tolerate the exploitation of farmers and assured that the chosen representatives of the party “would not leave stone without moving to ensure that the recommendations of the farmers are incorporated into the budgets.”
In his speech, Mr. Akram accused Punjab government of “deliberately pointing and punishing farmers for supporting Imran Khan and PTI in the general elections of last year.”
He recalled that Mr. Khan always raised his voice for the well -being of farmers, “that’s why farmers supported him.” He urged farmers to be ready to take to the streets, not only for the release of Mr. Khan but also for the protection of their own rights.
According to PTI leader, Mr. Khan will call a protest movement at any time.
According to the federal budget, Akram said the nation has “rejected” the document since “it offered nothing for public welfare.”
Raja said there was a “class conflict” in Pakistan, but PTI would raise his voice for the poor. He said the party struggled to transform the country into a state of genuine well -being.
Mr. Raja stressed that a large number of children were out of school, more than 40 % of children under five years of age suffer from delay, and poverty was unbridled.
He said that corporate agriculture and the construction of new channels at the expense of poor farmers were unacceptable and intolerable.
According to Mr. Raja, the powerful elite class has done nothing for the well -being or interests of the working class and disadvantaged people and has focused solely on “promoting their own acquired agendas.”
The opposition leader at the Punjab Assembly, Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachaha, said the farmers faced tyranny in Punjab, since the government was “suppressing” to benefit other sectors.
Posted in Dawn, June 12, 2025
