SAHIWAL: The Pakistan Kisan Ittehad (PKI) on Monday held a three-hour-long demonstration at Rangu Pull on Khanewal-Multan Road to mobilise farmers for the wider agitation against the government.

Hundreds of farmers participated in the peaceful demo that is part of a series of protests being staged in different districts of Punjab before the final agitation planned for federal capital for availability of fertilisers at controlled rate and bringing down power tariff for farmers etc.

The PKI has yet to announce the date for its Islamabad protest. The farmers’ agitation has been entitled “Bezuban Janwar and Bebas Kisan March”.

Chaudhry Rizwan, the PKI provincial president and Khalid Mahmood Khokar its central president, addressed the protesters, including farmers from different villages of Khanewal and Multan district.

During the demo, the farmers also burnt an effigy of prime Minister Imran Khan and chanted slogans against the PTI’s Punjab and federal governments for not fulfilling the promises made to the farmers organisations.

Many of the farmers had also brought their cattle to the protest. Farmers were chanting slogans against the PTI government.

Mr Khokar told Dawn on phone that they would march on Islamabad along with farmers and demos were being held in districts to mobilise the participants. He said the protesters were demanding that power tariff for agricultural use should be fixed at Rs5.35 per unit, besides DAP rate between Rs3,000 and Rs4,000 and Urea fertiliser rate at Rs1,768 per bag in the open market.

He lamented that fertilisers and pesticides were not being provided to the farmers at controlled rates. He said the farmers must also be provided agriculture machinery at subsidised prices.

The PKI sources said next demonstrations would be held on Feb 17, 21 and 22 at Pakpattan, Okara and Vehari, respectively.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2022