SAHIWAL: All the detained leaders and activists of the Pakistan Kisan Ittehad (PKI) were released by police on Wednesday night without registration of any case against them.

PKI Punjab chapter president Chaudhry Rizwan, who was released by Arifwala city police told Dawn on phone that he had reached Islamabad as per directions of his leadership.

According to PKI central president Khalid Mahmood Khokkar, the farmers’ representatives held a meeting with senior bureaucrats after holding a protest demo outside the National Press Club, Islamabad, on the government’s request.

Khokar said as the PKI believed in negotiations.

The PKI leaders including Khalid Khokkar, Ihsan Akram and Muhammad Hussian attended the meeting, while the government side comprised federal secretaries of finance and energy.

Mr Hussain said their main agenda was to bring down power tariff for agriculture tubewells.

Later PKI delegation was assured that Prime Minister Imran Khan would hold meeting with them and take final decision regarding their demands. However, according to Mr Khokar, the PKI leaders meeting with the PM was twice rescheduled and finally they were told it would be held on Friday (today).

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2020