Focus on farmers not chickens: JI chief

Sirajul Haq urges CJP to focus on barren lands rather than population planning

LAHORE: Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan chief Senator Sirajul Haq has urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to focus more on facilitating farmers rather than talking about eggs and chickens.

Addressing a Kissan Convention at Mansoora on Sunday, he said if the government provides interest-free loans, farm machinery, pesticides, sufficient irrigation water, improved seed and subsidised fertilisers to agriculturists, they could bring about a revolution in agriculture.

The JI chief also demanded setting up a task force at both the federal and provincial level with farmer representatives to resolve their problems. He also called for waiving off GST on agricultural inputs, and provision of low-priced farm inputs under a package.

Haq also demanded rate of sugarcane be fixed at Rs250 per maund and CPR should be given the status of a cheque to stop exploitation of growers at the hand of mills owners.

“5% elite are exploiting 95% of the general public,” he said, adding people sitting in the assemblies represented the elite only and believe they are not answerable to anyone including their voters.



Meanwhile, the senator talking about Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar said if the top judge had launched a movement for bringing under the plough nearly 60% of the country’s barren land instead of just talking about population planning, it would have created some hope.

On the occasion, the JI chief formally approved the conversion of the Kisan Board Pakistan into JI Kisan.

JI deputy chief and chief patron of the JI Kisan, Mian Muhammad Aslam, also addressed the convention. He said industry in the country was running mainly due to the agriculture and lamented that almost 60% of cultivable land in the country is lying barren due to shortage of water.

JI Kisan chief Ch. Nisar Ahmed advocate, General Secretary Ch Shaukat and JI Kisan representatives from other provinces were also present at the ceremony.