In a meeting conducted by Pakistan Kisan Ittehad (PKI) on Tuesday , farmers determined to shut the roads leading to major cities of Punjab and Sindh for pressurizing the government to accept their demands. PKI president Khalid Mahmood said that they will not announce the protest schedule to avoid any ambush or surprise attack by the government, which earlier had crushed their demonstration in Islamabad on the federal budget day with impunity. Scores of farmers protesting in Islamabad on May 26 were beaten by police. Over 100 protestors were under arrest and the injured were shifted to nearby hospitals.
“We were using our constitutional rights, holding the demonstration peacefully for our rights,” Mr Khokhar said. “We’re dealt undemocratically, viciously with water cannons, tear-shelling, rubber and live bullets in front of Parliament. Two farmers received bullets and were injured. Any public hospital of Islamabad did not admit them , finally, we took them to a neighboring district,” he said.
They said this times their demonstration and manifestations will be powerful as they would squeeze the major parts of the country.
He further said “Once we occupy the roads, till the acceptance of our demands that are absolutely based on right facts we will not end the sits-in” .
He said they would occupy the carriage way leading to Karachi , Lahore, Multan , Sargodha , Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal.
He said their demands included incentives from the federal government which were earlier requested by the Punjab government and the Ministry of National Food Security for the agriculture sector.
“The farmers were demanding the accomplishment of recommendations for the agriculture sector in the budget by Punjab government’s and Ministry of National Food Security,” he said.
He demanded the removal of GST, GIDC on the agriculture inputs, a handsome sustain price for the maize, rice, cotton and potatoes , agriculture should be free of electricity bills, and endorsement and development culture in the agriculture sector.
“You had better better admit our demands or get geared up for a vital showdown,” Mr. Khokhar warned the administration
