Pakistan Kisan Ittehad, a coalition wing of various farmers associations, has indicated of long march on Islamabad and Lahore. A final decision will be made in the meeting of district presidents of all districts on October 10.
Farmers’ Coalition central president Malik Zulfiqar Awan said that government policies are ‘killing’ farmers and instead of catching those who looted billions of dollars, the poor farmer is being harassed.
The key reasons behind the long march as listed by the farmers’ coalition are massive increases in the electricity, gas, and fertilizer prices leading to situations where both layman and farmer could not pay electricity bills.
Last year, Kissan Ittehad, representing smallholder farmers, conducted a 10-day protest in Islamabad in September, leading to the announcement of a ‘Kissan package’ worth Rs1.8 trillion by the federal government.
However, no concrete practical steps were taken to implement the announced package, and it remains on paper.
