PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto on Friday promised extensive
agricultural reforms in the country while addressing a political
convention in Multan.
South Punjab is witnessing
heightened political activity this December with three major political
parties — the ruling PML-N, opposition PPP and the Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) – targeting voters of the region ahead of the
general elections next year.
PTI has already held
political conventions in several districts of the region and the PML-N
is going to hold public meetings in Multan and Rahim Yar Khan districts
towards the end of this month. Similarly, the PPP is also aiming to hold
more political gatherings in the region that used to be its stronghold.
As
the southern region of Punjab is considered an agricultural belt, the
PPP supremo made several promises to the agricultural community. He
pledged that if the PPP is elected to power next year, it will waive off
the General Sales Tax (GST) from agricultural income.
The PPP leader's promises on agricultural reforms come at a time when sugarcane growers in Sindh are protesting
against delays in the crushing of harvested sugarcane by millers and
corruption in the fixing of the official price of sugarcane in the
province.
"We want to strengthen the rural economy," said
Bilawal after promising to devise a mechanism under which support price
would be fixed for standing crops and water would be provided to all
the growers in a just manner.
He vowed to formulate
farmer friendly policies, saying it was his belief that prosperity of
farmers ensures the prosperity of the country. He said that the PPP
would shift the governmental approach from "corporate farming" to
"cooperative farming", vowing to "free farmers from the clutches of the
middleman".
The PPP chairman presented a comparison of
his party's progress in Sindh to that of PML-N and PTI's in other
provinces. He claimed that Sindh had made significant developments in
the health sector. He alleged that the PML-N governments in centre and
Punjab were pushing small-scale growers to the wall. He held the PML-N
leadership responsible for what he called "weakened democracy" and a
"dismal situation" in the region.
Turning to the PTI, he said that Imran Khan's party only cashed in on the youth slogan but did nothing to support youngsters.
He
said that the PPP rejects the mixing of religion and politics.
Criticising "hardcore religious elements", he claimed they want to have
"Islamabad and not Islam".
Earlier, PPP Co-chairperson
Asif Ali Zardari targeted the federal government and predicted that it
would collapse soon. He, however, denied his involvement in any attempt
to expel the PML-N government.
