ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has demanded immediate withdrawal of all the new taxes on agriculture inputs and restoration of subsidies for the key economic sector.
Talking to a delegation of Pakistan Kissan Ittehad led by its President Khalid Mahmood Khokhar at Zardari House Islamabad, the PPP chairman accused Nawaz Sharif government of guillotining agriculture economy in a bid to unleash unemployment and poverty among a majority of Pakistanis who livelihood is connect to farming.
The Kissat Ittehad delegation complained to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari that the Nawaz government had let loose a reign of terror against the farmers and had killed two farmers during protests in Islamabad recently.
Bilawal said that the PPP would never leave the farmers in lurch and all its political power would be used to regain the lost rights of the agriculture communities. “Nawaz government won’t be allowed to snatch the livelihood of poor and toiling peasants,” he added.
The PPP chairman also directed the opposition leaders in the Senate and the National Assembly to raise full voice for the farmers in parliament and resist the government’s anti-agriculture policies on the floor of the House. He assured the Kissan Ittehad that the PPP was here to protect all the legitimate rights of the farming community. He said that the PPP manifesto for 2018 general election would take full care of the agriculture sector and segments of society connected to it economically.
Earlier, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari after passing a busy week in central Punjab, especially Lahore city, left for Islamabad. During his stay in central Punjab he joined several Iftar dinners hosted by party workers inside and outside the Bilawal House in Bahria Town Lahore.
He also visited Multan to meet party workers and office-bearers of southern Punjab areas. He stayed at former premier Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani’s residence.
According to official schedule, Bilawal will meet some diplomats at the Zardari House in Islamabad. He will also call a meeting of the PPP Rawalpindi division office-bearers at the Zardari House on June 15. He will host an Iftar dinner for his party workers on this occasion and later leave for Peshawar on June 16 to hold some party meetings.
According to sources, he will address the provincial divisional party meetings in Peshawar to make direct contact with party workers for building up their morale for the next general elections.
After visiting Peshawar, Bilawal will visit Balochistan for holding separate meetings with the Quetta division office-bearers of the party. PPP sources said that party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari will also visit Lahore before Eidul Fitr where he will hold meetings with Dr Tahirul Qadri and the Chaudhry brothers.
