checkposts set up in Punjab in the name of monitoring were hindering supply
DLP Report
PESHAWAR
The Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter on Saturday expressed concern over a wheat shortage in the province and warned of a possible strike if supply from Punjab was not restored.
The concerns were raised at an emergency meeting chaired by PFMA KP chairman Muhammad Naeem Butt, attended by senior representatives of flour mills from various districts.
The meeting noted that while the new wheat crop had arrived in Punjab and Sindh and sufficient stocks were available there, flour mills in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were facing difficulties in procuring wheat.
Mr Butt said that in previous years, mills in KP purchased wheat from Punjab’s open market at this time, but this year movement of wheat into the province was being restricted, which he termed a violation of Article 151 of the Constitution.
Participants alleged that checkposts set up in Punjab in the name of monitoring were hindering supply, claiming that trucks carrying wheat were being allowed passage only after payment of bribes, while others faced legal hurdles and offloading of wheat.
The association termed the situation unjust and harmful both for the flour industry and the public in the province.
The PFMA urged the KPchief minister to take immediate steps to remove what it called illegal restrictions on wheat movement.
It warned that continued disruption in supply could lead to flour shortages, price hikes and difficulties for consumers.
Participants also cautioned that prolonged shortages could force mills to shut down, risking unemployment for thousands of workers.
The association said that if the situation was not addressed promptly, flour millers would be compelled to launch protests and could shut down operations for an indefinite period.
