PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto on Friday promised extensive agricultural reforms in the country while addressing a political convention in Multan.
South Punjab is witnessing heightened political activity this December with three major political parties — the ruling PML-N, opposition PPP and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) – targeting voters of the region ahead of the general elections next year.
PTI has already held political conventions in several districts of the region and the PML-N is going to hold public meetings in Multan and Rahim Yar Khan districts towards the end of this month. Similarly, the PPP is also aiming to hold more political gatherings in the region that used to be its stronghold.
As the southern region of Punjab is considered an agricultural belt, the PPP supremo made several promises to the agricultural community. He pledged that if the PPP is elected to power next year, it will waive off the General Sales Tax (GST) from agricultural income.
The PPP leader's promises on agricultural reforms come at a time when sugarcane growers in Sindh are protesting against delays in the crushing of harvested sugarcane by millers and corruption in the fixing of the official price of sugarcane in the province.
"We want to strengthen the rural economy," said Bilawal after promising to devise a mechanism under which support price would be fixed for standing crops and water would be provided to all the growers in a just manner.
He vowed to formulate farmer friendly policies, saying it was his belief that prosperity of farmers ensures the prosperity of the country. He said that the PPP would shift the governmental approach from "corporate farming" to "cooperative farming", vowing to "free farmers from the clutches of the middleman".
The PPP chairman presented a comparison of his party's progress in Sindh to that of PML-N and PTI's in other provinces. He claimed that Sindh had made significant developments in the health sector. He alleged that the PML-N governments in centre and Punjab were pushing small-scale growers to the wall. He held the PML-N leadership responsible for what he called "weakened democracy" and a "dismal situation" in the region.
Turning to the PTI, he said that Imran Khan's party only cashed in on the youth slogan but did nothing to support youngsters.
He said that the PPP rejects the mixing of religion and politics. Criticising "hardcore religious elements", he claimed they want to have "Islamabad and not Islam".
Earlier, PPP Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari targeted the federal government and predicted that it would collapse soon. He, however, denied his involvement in any attempt to expel the PML-N government.
