PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League-Q provincial president Intikhab Khan Chamkani has criticised the federal government for ignoring the farmers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Kissan package and demanded waiving of their agriculture loans.

Speaking at a meeting of farmers at Chamkani here on Friday, the PML-Q leader said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his team was using the Kissan package for strengthening their party in the country, but the package had not been extended to the farmers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had focused only on Punjab province to win the forthcoming local government elections and that was why it neglected KP. He said that farmers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were the most deserving as they had suffered greatly due to militancy and were unable even to afford buying seeds and fertilizers.

The PML-Q leader said that terrorism had also affected various sectors, including trade and business activities, but the federal government was least bothered to pay attention to the revival of KP’s economy.

Mr Chamkani said that the federal government should have sought suggestions from the KP farmers for incorporation in the package and invited them to the Kissan convention, but they were ignored. He said that the farmers were unable to return their agriculture loans due to the problems they suffered due to terrorism and militancy. He said that the provincial government lacked the resources to meet needs of the farmers.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play