ISLAMABAD: The Kissan Ittehad (KI) has postponed its sit-in to be held at D-Chowk today (Tuesday), after the government assured them that their demands would be fulfilled. The KI spokesman told Business Recorder that they had postponed its sit-in planned to be held on November 10th as the government had constituted a committee for holding negotiations with their representatives, and addressing the farmers' demands.

If the government failed to address our demands then the KI would announce another date for staging sit-in in the federal capital. Following announcement of sit-in by the KI and the Awami National Party (ANP) against the statement of Interior Minister Brigadier Ijaz Shah (retd), the city police have placed containers around Red Zone as well as some entry and exit points of the city to block entry of the protesters.

The KI had earlier staged protest in Lahore and the police had tear-gassed and baton-charged them. The demands of the KI include increase in indicative price of sugarcane from Rs180 to Rs300 per 40Kg, and timely payment by the sugar mill owners to the sugarcane growers. They also demanded to reduce power tariff for tube wells and availability of subsidised fertilisers.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020