SAHIWAL: The Pakistan Kissan Ittehad on Monday called off its long march on Islamabad after five-hour marathon negotiations with the provincial cabinet committee.

The protest ended when the farmers were informed that an agreement had been reached between the two parties and soon the CM would hold a meeting in Lahore to review their demands.

Punjab Minister for Agriculture Dr Farrukh Javed headed the government team while PKI Central President Khalid Khokhar led the farmers delegation.

Also read: Farmers’ protest

Dawn learnt that DCOs of Pakpattan, Sahiwal and Okara along with Khalid Khokhar visited the marchers near Royal Hotel and asked them to return to their houses peacefully. Consequently farmers opened Lahore-Multan Motorway and Lahore-Karachi Railway Track.

Sources told this correspondent that Vehari police had released PKI District President Iftikhar Kambho along with his 30 supporters. Likewise, Mukhtar Ahmed was released by Gamber police, Okara, along with five others.

Reports said Commissioner Sohial Shahzad, DCO Dr. Sajid Chohan and RPO Fasil Shahkar tried to persuade farmers to call off march, but they were not ready to listen to the district bureaucracy, and demanded talks with the PML-N leadership. The government team consisting of Dr. Farrukh Javed, Punjab Irrigation Minister Mian Yawar Zaman and MPA Chaudhry reached Sahiwal and signed an agreement with the farmers delegation.

The agreement contained three points -- PKI will call off its long march, farmers will open motorway and railway track and a high-level meeting will be held in Lahore to review demands.

Dr Farrukh Javed said PKI’s demands were directly related to the federal government. The demands included withdrawal of GST on inputs, subsidy to rice and wheat farmers, support price for potato growers, increase in wheat support price, and flat electricity tariff for tubewells.

Sources said the high-level committee meeting would comprise Federal Minister Sikandar Bosan and representatives of Wapda, finance and commerce ministries.

Dr Javed said the meeting will be held after completion of Senate elections.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2015

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