ISLAMABAD: Kisan Ittehad on Saturday announced a ‘million march’ in Islamabad on September 25 during a press conference at the National Press Club, criticising the Punjab government’s agricultural policies.

The leaders said the Punjab government’s ‘flawed policies’ have pushed the agriculture sector to the brink of collapse.

“Punjab does not even have wheat available to meet its own needs today. We will not return without the chief minister’s resignation,” they stated.

They said farmers from across the country will participate in the march and if stopped, they will reach Islamabad on foot. They said that blocking roads is not the objective; however, farmers will go to any extent to secure their rights.

Farmers said Pakistan can reduce its import requirements and increase exports through agriculture. By boosting production of olives, cotton, rice, wheat, vegetables and fruits, Pakistan can improve its position in the global market.

They said the government should make the protection of agricultural land, water and farmers a national priority. Cases and FIRs against farmers should be withdrawn, and the blame for the failure of government policies should not be placed on farmers.

“If farmers are forced to abandon cultivation, the country could face a major food crisis,” Chairman of Kisan Ittehad Khalid Hussain Baath said, along with Central President Umair Masood and other leaders.

The farmers said the purpose of the march was to resolve farmers’ economic issues as over the past two years wheat growers have suffered huge financial losses.

In the first year, farmers bore losses in billions while the government showed the loss figures as far too low. The farmers were assured that the government would buy their wheat in the following year, but in the second year too the promise of government procurement was not fulfilled, and the private sector also did not enter the market effectively.

They said due to continuous losses, farmers have reduced wheat cultivation by 30 to 40 per cent. As a result, Punjab, considered the country’s food basket, is today facing a wheat crisis even for its own needs.

They alleged that on one hand the government talks about deregulating wheat, while on the other hand it raids farmers’ homes to seize wheat and imposes bans on transporting it to other provinces.

On this occasion, President of Kisan Ittehad Umair Masood said that agriculture holds a fundamental position in the country’s economy, but farmers are receiving neither effective subsidies from the federal government nor adequate relief from the Punjab government.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2026