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Quetta [Pakistan] September 21 (ANI) The Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (KIP) has strongly criticised the authorities for lodging FIRs against farmers in Nasirabad, saying the demonstrators were peacefully pressing for their rights. KIP Chairman Khalid Hussain Bathh, addressing a press briefing alongside Arya Hoorain and Raza Muhammad Khilji, demanded that the cases be withdrawn and those detained be released immediately.
He cautioned that failure to act would compel the KIP to stage large-scale protests in Kulchak, Nasirabad, Lakpass, Khuzdar, and several other districts, as reported by Dawn. According to Dawn, Mr Bathh urged both federal and provincial administrations to declare wheat support prices before the start of the sowing season. He emphasised that advance pricing would encourage farmers to bring more land under cultivation, helping safeguard food security and stabilising the agricultural sector. Turning to energy concerns, he pressed the Balochistan government to form a joint committee, including KIP representatives, to evaluate the ongoing shift of agricultural tube wells to solar power. He also called for an assessment of funds allocated to the project, insisting that farmers' electricity connections must remain intact until the process is properly reviewed. The KIP chairman highlighted the plight of local agriculture, noting that paddy fields have dried up while vegetable crops were ruined. Citing what he called the "inefficiency and obstinacy" of the provincial irrigation minister, he alleged that the negligence had inflicted financial losses running into billions of rupees. The agricultural community in Balochistan has long grappled with water scarcity, erratic energy supply, and inadequate official policies. The fresh crackdown has only deepened discontent among farmers who already feel abandoned by the state. The situation could spiral into prolonged unrest if immediate policy interventions are not introduced to protect the interests of Balochistan's farmers, as reported by Dawn. (ANI)
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