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Islamabad [Pakistan]October 2 (ANI): Pakistan’s Kisan Ithad has threatened Sheikh Baz Sharif’s government with a nationwide shutdown if the demands of farmers protesting in Islamabad are not met by Monday.
According to ARY News, Kissan Ittehad chairman Khalid Hussain Batth, speaking at the event, asked the government to issue a notification after accepting the farmers’ demands.
Otherwise, protesting farmers will shut down the entire country, he said. He added that millions of farmers will go to Islamabad at his call if the government does not give notice to meet their demands.
Kissan Ittehad protesters have hinted at sit-ins outside Parliament and Bani Gala if the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) governments do not meet their demands, ARY News reported.
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On Sunday, farmers’ protests over lower electricity prices and other economic issues entered a fifth day. However, talks between the federal government and protesting farmers have made no progress.
Farmers have given the federal government a Monday deadline to comply with their demands.
Discussions by the Ranasanura government, the interior minister and farmers’ leaders have failed to break the deadlock. According to ARY News, Sanaullah described the farmers’ protests as “unreasonable protests.”
The standoff between the government and protesting farmers continues, with another round of talks going nowhere. “Farmer leaders were informed about the situation at a meeting,” the interior minister said.
“The government is serious about the farmers’ legitimate demands and has accepted the delay in paying the pipe well bills,” he said. “Notices on this have been issued and protests against the matter are not justified,” Sanura added.
“Farmers, any other group or political party are not allowed to protest in the red zone,” the minister said.
He warned that the law would be enforced against those marching in the red zone. “The Supreme Court (SC) has clearly ruled against any protests in the red zone,” he added.
The protests began on Friday when more than 25,000 Punjabi farmers staged a demonstration under the umbrella of the Pakistani farmers’ association Kisan Ittehad, Dawn reported.
As the protests gained momentum in the capital, Islamabad police implemented Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Their representative body, the Kisan Ittihad Union, gave the government an 11am deadline today to meet their demands.
Khalid Butt, president of the Kisan Ittihad coalition, had said, “I am taking time out of the coalition tonight”, adding that farmers would kill themselves in front of the parliament building the next day.
The protest was part of a series of protests by farmers in different parts of Pakistan, including near Banigara.
Among the many demands of farmers are the reinstatement of the previous tariff of Rs 5.3 per unit for tube well electricity, the removal of all taxes and adjustments, an end to black market marketing of fertilizers and a reduction in urea usage (400% increase).
Apart from these demands, they also said that the price of wheat should be fixed at Rs 2,400 per mound and the price of sugar cane should be fixed at Rs 280 per mound, according to Dawn, citing police reports.
In addition, farmers demanded that the blockade of the canal be lifted and that water be released in the area immediately. In addition, they said, agriculture should also be given industrial status.
To curb the growing protests, Islamabad police cordoned off parts by placing containers on roads, the outlet quoted police as saying, adding that overpasses and roads near Islamabad highways were also closed by containers.
More than 2,500 farmers traveled to Jinnah Avenue in 40 buses, 29 roller coasters, 6 vans, 11 sport utility vehicles and 18 cars. Islamabad police blocked all red zone entry points except Magalla Road.
People on Margalla Road have restricted and controlled access. After reaching the Jinnah Avenue underpass/overpass, protesters sat there until a report was filed.
The police tried to negotiate with the protesting farmers, but the farmer leaders refused to talk to the police and continued to make demands. The farmer said it was government departments or politicians who should be negotiating with the protesters, not the police. (ANI)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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