QUETTA: Kissan Etihad Pakistan Chairman Khalid Hussain has said growers will stage a protest sit-in outside Parliament House in Islamabad on Sept 28 in support of their demands.

Speaking at a presser on Monday, he said unprecedented floods in Balochistan had destroyed crops at around 300,000 acres, causing billions of rupees’ losses to growers.

He said peasants from all over the country would reach the capital to join the protest against the government which was not fulfilling the promises made to the farmers.

Mr Hussain said despite promises, the government has not provided solar panels to the farmers so far. He demanded that the federal and provincial governments provide relief to the farmers as they have been marooned by the recent floods.

“The government should provide interest-free loans and write off utility bills and agriculture loans,” he said. He criticised the Punjab government for putting pressure on the farmers to postpone their planned sit-in in Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2022