Farmers Union warns of countrywide protest if Maryam Nawaz refuses to resign

LAHORE, August 10: Pakistan Farmers Union Chairman Khalid Hussain Bath has demanded the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, warning that farmers will suffer further if she remains in office for another two and a half years, ARY News reported.

Addressing a press conference, Bath said the farmers’ union was not against the PML-N government but only wanted Maryam Nawaz to resign.

He warned that if Maryam Nawaz did not step down, protests would be held across the country. Farmers from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab would reach Rawalpindi to participate in the protests, he said.

Bath announced that the Pakistan Farmers Union would launch nationwide protests from September 25. He said the union would go to any extent for Maryam Nawaz’s resignation.

He said the country could not progress without removing corrupt rulers. The farmers’ union would now enter politics across Pakistan, he added.

Bath said farmers were not receiving payments for sugarcane and that raids were being conducted at farmers’ homes. He questioned whether action would also be taken against Ramzan Sugar Mills.

He said farmers had been forced to demand the Punjab chief minister’s resignation. According to Bath, the Punjab government’s projects were benefiting only contractors.

He also criticised provincial officials, saying Azma Bukhari and Salma Butt had no knowledge of agriculture.

Bath said underdeveloped areas of South Punjab were being ignored. He also warned that he would file an FIR against anyone who raised the slogan “Jaag Punjabi Jaag” in the future.