Regulations required: Legislation demanded to ensure safe use of fertilisers

Participants of seminar flay decision to ban their use.

PESHAWAR: The need for proper legislation to keep record of fertiliser sales was stressed upon in a seminar organised by Awareness Movement for an Alert Nation (AMAN) titled ‘Engaging stakeholders of peace’ on Wednesday.

The seminar was aimed at creating awareness about the possible use of synthetic fertiliser and ammonium nitrate in making explosives for terrorist attacks.

Participants suggested that in order to prevent the use of fertilisers in making explosives, the government ought to make laws which bind fertiliser manufacturing companies and dealers to keep a record of customers who purchase the product for commercial and agricultural purposes.

Although the government has imposed a ban on buying and selling fertilisers in most of the tribal areas, it has failed to devise a strategy in which distributers are bound to keep records of their customers and the quantity they purchase.

Anjuman-e-Kashtkaran President Haji Naimatullah said, “Banning fertiliser is not a solution; we need it to increase the production of crops. The stakeholders need to play their role and mend their ways so as to end the use of fertilisers in making improvised explosive devices (IEDs).”

He said he had learnt that agriculture in the tribal areas has been badly affected by the ban on fertilisers.

Colonel (Retd) Akhtar Ahmad, an expert on IEDs, informed participants that use of IEDs have increased since 2007. “It is the terrorists’ weapon of choice against security forces and civilians alike,” he said.

“Over 11,000 people have lost their lives and over 21,000 have been injured in the last decade due to terrorist attacks,” he said, adding most of the attackers used IEDs.

Attendees of the seminar included representatives of various fertiliser companies, fertiliser dealers, farmers and large number of students.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2013.