F.P. Report
Lahore: Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Senator Siraj-ul-Haq, has called upon the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take sue motto notice of the numerous problems being faced by the farmers in order to save agriculture from total destruction.
He was talking to the media after visiting a camp of the growers here on Tuesday , protesting against the apathy of the rulers towards their deteriorating plight. Sirajul Haq said that the farmers were producing crops such as sugar cane, rice, cotton and wheat. But, he said, the prices of these items were determined by the capitalists who failed to protect the growers’ interests.
He said that the High Court order for paying Rs. 180 per ton of sugar cane had been thrown into the dust bin by the rulers and the administration. JI chief demanded farmers’ representation in the board which decided the procurement prices of the crops. Besides, he said, the government should procure the farm products directly from the growers instead of the middle man. He also stressed upon the government to grant subsidy on the oil and electricity being used by the agriculturists. He also called for constructing farm to market pucca roads and setting up Kisan help centers.
Sirajul Haq said that water, seeds, and farm machinery were the essential items for agriculture but the farmers in the country were deprived of all the three. He said the rivers and dams were dry as India was constructing dams on these rivers to deprive this country of its share of water. However, he said, the rulers were criminally silent on the issue. He said that as the farm products reached the markets after the hard labour of the growers, the middle men and capitalists did not allow him a fair return of his hard work due to which, the farmers were depressed.
The Punjab chief of the JI, Mian Maqsood Ahmed, said on the occasion that so far, the growers had fought for their rights within the law. He said that the High Court had accepted the growers demand regarding the sugar cane price at Rs. 180 per ton, but the sugar mafia was not complying with that.
Later, Sirajul Haq visited the sit-in of the Lady Health Visitors (LHVs), and expressed solidarity with their demands. He said it was a pity that the rulers’ apathy had forced the sisters and daughters of the nation to come on roads. He urged the government to accept the genuine demands of the LHVs.
