SWABI: The Kashthkar Coordination Council (KCC) and other unions of the growers have announced to launch a protest movement from Sunday to press the government to give crop status to tobacco.

The KCC members told mediapersons here that the first protest camp would be held in the district headquarters at Karnal Sher Khan Chowk from Sunday to Tuesday. They said the growers’ single demand was to give crop status to tobacco because they had financially suffered for years owing to government’s delaying tactics in that regard.

The growers’ leaders said the successive governments had failed to take interest in solution to the genuine problems of growers, because of which, national and multinational companies were exploiting the poor farmers.

They said the tobacco growers from Buner, Mardan and Charsadda districts would also participate in the protest.

Liaqat Yousafzai, KCC general secretary, said if their demand was not met within three days then they would stage a protest in front of the Peshawar Press Club, which will continue till meeting of their demand. He said they were ready to run a prolonged protest movement.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that Abdul Karim, adviser to chief minister on industry, will introduce a bill in this connection in KP Assembly soon.

Sources said lawmakers belonging to opposition political parties were also expected to support the bill, thus paving the way for giving tobacco the crop status.

They said KP lawmakers had demanded that tobacco should no longer remain subject of the federal government and that the provincial government should have control over it. However, sources said multinational companies and Pakistan Tobacco Board officials opposed the move.

GAS SUPPLY PROJECT: Abdul Karim, adviser to chief minister on industry, inaugurated a gas supply project in Tordher on Wednesday.

On the occasion, he said it was regrettable that main pipeline of SNGPL was passing through Tordher but it had been kept deprived of gas facility by the previous governments. He said now the entire area would get gas supply.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2019