ANALYSIS: For small farmers, manifestos offer no respite
(WorldNews Pakistan)

FOR Chaudhry Akhtar, the owner of a 24-acre farm in Bahawalpur, things were never so tough. `There is no water in canals for months and this has been going on for a few years now,` says the 42-year-old farmer. Armed with a smartphone and a decent internet package, he keeps a close eye on agriculture developments and is avid social media user. `Thousands of Indian cotton farmers have committed suicide. We have similar climatic and financial threats here and a similar situation is likely to develop,` he warned. `I attended a few meetings of two political parties and raised this issue but received blank stares. The MPA candidates had no clue what I was talking about but did assure the gathering...