LAHORE: Both Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday lashed out at the Punjab government for not purchasing wheat from farmers, with the former warning it of an agitation if the decision regarding the non-procurement of grain is not revoked within four days.

Speaking at a press conference at Mansoora on Thursday, JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman warned if the provincial government persists with its “anti-farmer” stance, his party will stage a sit-in outside the Punjab chief minister’s office.

The JI head also called for the establishment of a judicial commission to investigate the wheat import scandal. He said that the former caretaker government’s decision to import wheat worth one billion dollars in October 2023, during a severe shortage of dollars, and in spite of ample wheat stock, in the country, was deeply concerning.

He demanded that those involved in taking the wheat import decision must appear before the inquiry commission and resign from their positions pending investigation. Importers profited approximately one thousand rupees per 40kg, amounting to looting of nearly Rs85 billion from the public, he alleged.

Rehman announced that JI-backed farmers’ protest camps would commence from Friday (today) across divisional and district headquarters of Punjab, continuing until Tuesday, when the party plans to initiate a sit-in if the government remains adamant.

He urged the JI Kissan chapter to liaise with farmer organisations, denouncing government attempts to sow division among the farmers.

Rehman implored the media to highlight the plight of small farmers, who constitute 96 percent of the agriculture landowners, and advocated for land reforms to redistribute land held by the four percent feudal lords and waderas among small farmers. He pledged that JI would spearhead a movement for land reforms in Pakistan in the future.

He said the JI’s pro-farmer movement stemmed from extensive consultations with farmer leaders, lawyers, and agriculture professionals, affirming the party’s commitment to championing growers’ rights.Similarly, the incarcerated PTI Punjab President Dr Yasmin Rashid has said the farmers are facing hard times not for their fault, but for the caretaker government’s “insane” decision of importing wheat beyond the country’s requirement.

In a written statement given to the media during her appearance at an anti-terrorism court on Thursday, Dr Rashid also demanded an impartial inquiry into the import of wheat to identify who was responsible for taking the decision that eventually pushed farmers against the wall.

This year, she said, farmers produced a bumper crop in the enhanced cultivation area to make Punjab self-reliant with regard to wheat, but the caretaker government imported wheat at an exorbitant rate.

She regretted that the farmers were now compelled to sell their produce at “almost half the official rate” and condemned the Punjab government for not coming to their rescue.

Dr Rashid also questioned the democracy that was not allowing the farmers to hold peaceful protests and record their grievances.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2024