RAHIM YAR KHAN: Hundreds of farmers hailing from Bhong, Rahimabad and Nawazabad areas organised a rally against the fertiliser crisis, unavailability of irrigation water and the ‘precarious’ law and order in Sadiqabad tehsil, some 35km from here, on Saturday.
The rally, led by Pakistan People’s Party MPA Mumtaz Ali Chang reached Taj Chowk on Bypass Road at noon where the participants blocked the national highway and staged a sit-in.
MPA Mumtaz Chang, PPP district president Sardar Habibur Rehman Gopang and Kissan Board general secretary Shahid Iqbal Terhaili spoke to the farmers. They strongly criticised the tehsil and district administration for not addressing the shortage and black marketing of urea. They alleged that Assistant Commissioner Kalim Yousuf and the assistant director (agriculture) had totally failed to overcome the fertiliser crisis.
The speakers also complained of unavailability of irrigation water in canals which would affect wheat crop. They alleged that farmers were being kidnapped and their tractors and motorcycles snatched by gangs of robbers in Kacha area of Sadiqabad.
Baton-charged for protesting ‘discrimination’
The traffic on one side of the national highway remained suspended for more than three hours. Later, Sadiqabad AC Kalim Yousuf and ASP Saleem Shah reached there with some prominent businessmen of RYK chamber of commerce and industry to negotiate with the protesters. They asked the farmers to end the protest but Mr Chang said the growers are not ready to negotiate with the AC. Chang gave half an hour to the AC and said they would negotiate with the DC. When the DC did not arrive there by half an hour, the protesters completely blocked the national highway after 4.30pm.
RYK Deputy Commissioner Mehtab Wasim Azhar told Dawn that the negotiations did not fail “and are in progress and traffic on national highway was not stopped.”
He termed the protest politically motivated. The DC said he suggested the protesters that he will meet their delegation on Monday along with the district police officer and the superintending engineer (irrigation) to solve all their matters.
Talking about the fertiliser issue, Azhar said the district is receiving 19,000 to 25,000 bags of urea against the 33,000 demand. He said supply would be increased in a couple of days after the upgraded distribution mechanism.
OKARA: Farmers standing in queues were baton-charged when they protested against Basirpur police for allegedly ‘obliging’ some people who were not part of the queues.
Farmers carrying CNICs were lined up since morning to get slip for two bags of urea. When they observed some people were being ‘obliged’, they launched a protest on which the police allegedly baton-charged them, resulting in injuries to some farmers.
When the baton-charge video went viral, police along with the trader representatives reached the spot to ease the situation.
DPO Faisal Gulzar took notice of the issue and directed Depalpur ASP Awais Khan to probe the incident. Meanwhile, Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (PKI) Khokhar group representative Mumtaz Ahmad Kalason and JI Kissan board president Chaudhry Shukat Ali Chaddar have demanded that the DPO suspend the officials involved in the baton charge.
Published in Dawn, January 16th, 2022