LAHORE: Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan has said that despite the government’s subsidies, the agriculture sector has been stagnant for decades.

Speaking at an awareness programme on wheat zinc fortification here on Thursday, he said that it was time to expand and improve initiatives for supporting farmers. He said that while farmers were often mentioned in big buildings and luxury halls, there was little effort to understand their actual conditions or improve their circumstances.

He said that although the Punjab government offered subsidies, reward schemes and the Kisan Card, the agriculture sector had been stagnant and it was time to expand and improve initiatives aimed at supporting farmers, as stronger reforms were necessary for meaningful progress.

Addressing another event organised by a private university on the thought of Allama Iqbal, Speaker Khan said that, as a student of Iqbal’s philosophy, he sought answers to many questions. He said that the society must reflect on whether Iqbal’s philosophy and deep love for the Holy Prophet (PBUH) also taught tolerance and space for dialogue. He questioned whether, after Iqbal, the nation still had the ability to listen to differing viewpoints.

The speaker said that today Pakistan faced serious challenges — economic, political and the struggle to tolerate one another. He emphasised that Iqbal’s thought remained a guiding light, and its most important element was tolerance.

“If we truly follow Iqbal’s philosophy, we will be able to overcome our problems,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2025