SWABI: The leaders have been convincing the growers for last two weeks to give up tobacco cultivation for a year in protest against the Pakistan Tobacco Board’s failure to make the companies purchase their produce in full and on time.

The campaign is led by Ittehad Kashtkaran, which comprises different unions of tobacco growers. It is currently running the campaign across the tobacco-growing districts in the province.

The growers’ leaders belonging to different regions of Swabi told Dawn on contact that the farmers planned quitting tobacco cultivation because they had faced great difficulties in selling their cured crop during the current year.

They said the growers were expected to follow the policy of the Ittehad Kashtkaran as they were exploited by the companies in the current year. However, they said it was not yet clear as to what would be the response of the growers in other tobacco-growing districts like Mardan, Mansehra, Buner, Charsadda and Swat.

MAN KILLED: A man belonging to Kohistan was killed and his nephew injured when their rivals opened fire on them while going on a motorcycle on the Topi Bypass here on Monday, the police said.

The deceased and injured were presently living in Batakara village.

Aurangzeb, 45, died on the spot, and his nephew identified as Mohammad Wali was injured, who was taken to the tehsil headquarters hospital, where he told the police that the cause of the incident was a dispute over a woman relation.

The Topi city police registered an FIR against Umar Khan, Musafar Khan and Amanullah Khan on the complaint of the injured man.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2021