PPP Leader Shahzad Saeed Cheema Rejects Punjab Government’s Farmer Package, Demands Wheat Price Fixation at Rs. 4,000 per maund 

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Central Punjab’s Secretary of Information, Shahzad Saeed Cheema, has outrightly rejected the Punjab government’s agricultural relief package, terming it insufficient and misaligned with farmers’ needs. During a meeting with a delegation of the Kisan Bachao Tehreek (Farmers’ Save Movement) at the Peoples Secretariat, Cheema demanded an immediate increase in the wheat procurement price to Rs. 4,000 per maund and insisted that the purchasing process be conducted exclusively through the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASCO).  

 

The delegation, led by PPP Pakpattan President Humayun Sarwar Bodla, discussed pressing issues faced by the farming community. Cheema condemned what he described as “state-backed harassment” of farmers, urging authorities to halt operations initiated by WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority), local revenue officials (Tehsildars), and other departments against cultivators. He specifically called for an end to “false and baseless” First Information Reports (FIRs) registered by WAPDA against farmers, labeling them as tactics to intimidate the agricultural workforce.  

 

Cheema emphasized that farmers, already burdened by rising input costs and inadequate support, deserve relief rather than punitive measures. He demanded transparency in procurement policies and accountability for institutions allegedly exploiting agrarian communities. The PPP leader’s statements come amid growing unrest among farmers in Punjab, who have repeatedly protested delayed payments, low crop prices, and bureaucratic hurdles in recent months.