FAZAL HAQ
MARDAN: The Farmers’ Association of Tehsil Takht Bhai and Malgari Wakeelan have sounded the call to arms against the recent decision by the Ministry of National Security and Research. They have issued a warning that if the central government and the Ministry of National Security and Research do not reverse their decision, which they see as an economic massacre of the Pashtuns and farmers, both the farmers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the legal community will take to the streets and stage sit-ins in front of the Parliament House without hesitation.These views were expressed by the President of the Farmers’ Association of Tehsil Takht Bhai, Qamar Zaman Advocate; President of Malgari Wakeelan, Maqsood Ali Khan Advocate; General Secretary of Takht Bhai Bar, Haq Nawaz Khan Khattak Advocate; Sher Muhammad Khan Advocate; Kaleemullah Khan Advocate; Shah Saleem Khan Advocate; Shah Zaman Khan Advocate; Habib Khan Advocate; and Fawad Ali Khan Advocate during a heavily attended press conference at Takht Bhai Press Club.They said that the central government and the Ministry of National Security and Research’s unjust decision to dissolve the Pakistan Tobacco Board is condemnable. They accused the central government of conspiring to economically destroy the Pashtun people and farmers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Tobacco is a cash crop for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and has brought positive changes to farmers’ lives. It contributes more than 31 billion rupees annually in excise duty to the federal government. Furthermore, 80,000 farmers in the province depend on it as their primary source of income, and it provides livelihoods to 1.5 million households.They warned that the dissolution of the Tobacco Board would extinguish the hearths of these families, forcing their children into starvation and depriving them of education. The transfer of the Tobacco Board’s responsibilities to the Ministry of National Security and Research, they said, is incomprehensible and reflects hostility towards the province and the Pashtun people.They demanded that the central government immediately reverse its decision to dissolve the Tobacco Board and called on the provincial government and all political parties to raise their voices against this decision. They threatened that if the central government did not reverse its decision, the legal community would join forces with the farmers to take the issue to the assemblies and courts.They emphasized that tobacco is the backbone of the farmers in Mardan and Swabi districts. The dissolution of the Pakistan Tobacco Board would strip the tobacco industry and crop of legal protection, effectively repealing the Tobacco Act of 1968 and MLO 487. They expressed concern that this decision would adversely affect millions of landowners dependent on the tobacco crop. Thousands of employees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sustain their families due to this crop.They warned that if the Ministry of National Security and Research does not reconsider its decision, farmers and the legal community across the province will not hesitate to take to the streets. They also announced plans to convene a joint meeting of farmers’ leaders and the legal community in Mardan district, inviting leaders of all political parties to participate.
