Pasban-i-Pakistan (PP), a socio-political group in Pakistan that works for human rights, on Friday organised an awareness session to educate people about hazards of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) seeds for health and environment.
Reportedly, a renowned economist Prof Dr Shahida Wazart said that GMOs were posing danger to environment by corrupting soil and were adversely affecting economy in terms of increased imports at expensive purchasing costs.
“GMO seeds produce contaminated foods and cause cancers, stroke and other fatal diseases among adults and children in Pakistan, and has made us dependent on western companies for importing pesticides and fertilizers,” she said.
She said that people needed to foil the conspiracy against Pakistan by halting use of such GMOs and start sowing organic crops. PP President Altaf Shakoor said that the corrupt rulers and politicians were ‘killing’ people with GMOs and in this regard, the awareness campaign aimed to educate farmers and growers to refrain from using GMOs for sowing. “40 percent children in Sindh suffer from malnutrition, stunt growth and higher chances of development certain disabilities,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sindh chief organiser Iqbal Hashmi appealed to the government to put an immediate ban on the use of GMO seeds, and ensure provision of subsidy to farmers for enabling them to use organic seeds for growing healthy and disease-free crops.
Arshad Arain said that they have started awareness drive over these seeds because grains, fruits and vegetables cultivated with GMO seeds were spreading diseases. Later, PP central vice president Rafiq Khaskheli also spoke on the occasion.
Published in Daily Times, September 29th 2018.