Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday urged the government to declare an agricultural emergency in the country to support farmers who have suffered massive losses in the ongoing floods.
Speaking to flood victims in Kasur, he stressed the need to assist growers with seeds and fertilisers and also provide relief through concessional loans.
Bilawal handed over a cheque of Rs10.5 million for flood victims in Kasur, assuring that he would take up their issues with the federal government and press Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to immediately declare an agriculture emergency to help farmers recover.
He said Punjab’s farming community had suffered severe damage and needed both financial assistance and input supplies to stand back on their feet.
The PPP chairman urged the government to provide relief in loans and electricity bills for farmers.
He also appealed for direct support through the Benazir Income Support Programme so that flood victims could be assisted in meeting basic needs.
While acknowledging the Punjab government’s efforts, Bilawal said the provincial administration alone cannot bear the burden of flood rehabilitation and called for federal support.
He said all government institutions must work together to provide comprehensive relief to the affected population.
Bilawal also expressed grief over the damage caused by the recent cloudburst in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stressing that all provinces must join hands to ensure quick relief for victims.
Turning to the Indus Waters Treaty, Bilawal accused India of violating the decades-old accord and engaging in what he termed “water terrorism” against the people of Pakistan.
He said the treaty was signed even before the war between the two countries and cannot be unilaterally revoked.
“Pakistan will raise its voice internationally and compel India to either respect the treaty or return the rivers,” he asserted.
During his interaction with flood victims, Bilawal reassured them that he would continue to raise their demands with the government at every level.
He vowed to make every effort to ease their difficulties and pressed the federal government to stand firmly with the provinces in this crisis so that the victims could receive timely and adequate assistance.
