QUETTA: Kissan Ittehad Pakistan Chairman Khalid Hussain has warned of a protest sit-in by growers and landowners in front of the chief minister’s house here and D-Chowk in Islamabad if the government failed to implement within 10 days the relief package agreed with them in the federal capital.

Addressing a presser on Wednesday, Mr Hussain said if their demands were not met, a sit-in would be staged in front of the CM House here on Nov 4 and at D-Chowk on the 5th. He said 70 per cent of agricultural land and standing crops in Balochistan and Sindh had been destroyed due to the heavy floods over the last couple of months.

“The federal and provincial governments should immediately implement the package for the flood- and rain-affected landowners,” he said.

The Kissan Ittehad Pakistan earlier protested in Islamabad for eight days for their demands. During a meeting, the prime minister and federal ministers had assured them of announcing a package for farmers, who say nothing has been done so far.

“Funds were donated by foreign countries for the rehabilitation of the agriculture sector, but we have no information where they are being utilised,” he said, demanding that the government provide details.

Mr Hussain said fruit orchards and standing crops had washed away in the flood-hit areas and farmers couldn’t pay heavy electricity bills, yet the supply company was cutting their connections.

He demanded the government immediately provide wheat, oilseeds, fertilisers at subsidised rates to farmers to plug the shortage of wheat in the country in the coming days.

The Kissan Ittehad chairman also sought an aid package for flood-hit farmers and landowners.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2022