PESHAWAR: The Tehreek-i-Istiqlal has urged the federal government to make agriculture profitable and resolve the problems of farmers on a priority basis to ensure the country’s self-sufficiency in food.

Tehreek-i-Istiqlal central president Rehmat Khan Wardag told reporters at the Peshawar Press Club on Saturday that Pakistan was an agricultural country on paper only, as the failure of successive governments to address the issues of farmers led to the growing prices of food items in the country.

He voiced concern about the rising prices of essential items, the unemployment rate, and economic problems and said the rulers should devise concrete policies to resolve those issues to the relief of the people.

Mr Wardag said farmers, youth, and poor segments of society suffered from many problems, and their resolution was possible only after the governance and political system were changed in the country.

Tehreek-i-Istiqlal leader says all parties should unite for country’s economic stability

He said the government should take effective measures to remove unrest among the people, especially youth.

The TI leader said the proportional representation system prevalent in 74 countries of the world should be adopted by Pakistan as well.

He said that it was high time to resolve the problems of farmers on a priority basis to bring down the prices of essential commodities and make agriculture profitable.

Mr Wardak said that political stability was necessary for economic stability, so any attempt to spread political chaos in the country would harm national as well as people’s interests.

“All political parties should unite for economic stability and mutual prosperity in the larger interest of the country and people,” he said.

The TI leader said that small and big dams, including Kalabagh Dam, should be built to address water shortages as well as the elimination of poverty and unemployment in the country.

He said dams would bring about an agricultural and industrial revolution in the country to ensure national development and prosperity.

Mr Wardag urged all political parties to join hands for proportional representation in the country to the development of the people. He said that Pakistan should buy petroleum products only from countries offering them at low rates.

He also urged the federal government to make barter trade agreements with neighbouring countries, saying that in that case, the country wouldn’t need dollars, the economy would stabilise and inflation would reduce.

“The development of agriculture should be a national priority so that the country can become self-sufficient in food,” he said.

The TI leader said the issues between the federal and KP governments should be resolved through dialogue.

He called for the promotion of “politics of tolerance.”

Mr Wardag said the centre had no right to deny Khyber Pakhtunkhwa its constitutional rights.

“The provincial government should act with restraint and sensibly to claim its rights,” he said.

He said that the “politics of reconciliation” should be promoted in the current democratic dispensation to manage national affairs.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2024