LAHORE: The Pakistan People’s Party has invited other opposition parties, particularly the PML-N, to join its proposed tractor march on Jan 31 to show solidarity with the farming community suffering due to ‘flawed’ policies of the government.

Central Punjab PPP general secretary Syed Hassan Murtaza along with Kissan Wing leader Inayat Ali Shah said at a press conference here on Monday that the party was starting its divisional level tractor marches from Jan 21 in the run-up to Feb 27 long march on Islamabad to oust the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government.

He invited the PML-N and other opposition parties to join the tractor march for showing solidarity with the farmers, who are running from pillar to post to get a bag of fertiliser.

Mr Murtaza hoped that despite extreme cold weather and division in opposition parties the tractor marches would prove to be a success.

He said the PPP would not leave the farmers alone and whenever the farming community took to the streets, it would wipe out the government of the time.

He said the march was aimed at putting pressure on the government to understand the issues and problems being faced by the farmers.

He said every country supports farmers because agriculture is the backbone of the economy of any country but it is very unfortunate that the PTI government is not serious in solving issues of the agriculturists.

Responding to a question, he said the Murree incident is a proof of the government’s failure and mismanagement. He said Chief Minister Usman Buzdar reached the site 30 hours after the incident.

He questioned why the relevant government agencies and army were not called out in time.

He wondered what agriculture and food secretaries would do in the inquiry committee formed by Mr Buzdar to probe the failure of the agencies in helping the Murree tragedy victims.

He told a questioner that opposition parties would win local government elections in Punjab in the same way they had won in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa polls.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2022