KP govt asks Punjab to lift ban on flour movement

PESHAWAR: As the flour crisis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa deepened on Monday, the provincial government asked the Punjab authorities to remove checkpoints to ensure free movement of the staple food to the KP.

A number of dealers have stopped the sale of the commodity due to non-availability while the rates have reached the record high after the ban on transportation of flour to the KP. The dealers complained that trucks are not being allowed to enter KP by officials at various checkpoints of different departments in Punjab.

The situation has resulted in an increase in the price of 20 KG bag to Rs 3,400 and even more while the 80 KG bag is being sold for Rs 13,500 to Rs 14,000. It is requested that the authorities concerned may be directed to remove the check-points and allow a free movement of wheat and wheat products to KP in the best interest of the public,” stated a letter sent by the KP Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan to his counterpart in Punjab Mohsin Raza Naqvi.

The letter added that flour dealers and various sections are agitating against the scarcity of the flour and they have asked the KP government to take up the issue with the Punjab government.

The communication stated the province remains dependent on flour supply from the open market during the period from May to September and 72 percent of which is provided by Punjab.

It continued that the ban on the movement of flour by the authorities in Punjab is against the spirit of Article 151 Clause 3, sub-clause (a) of the Constitution. A number of flour dealers are protesting against the Punjab Food Department as well as the mill owners there who are increasing the prices daily.

Many dealers also warned of protest at Attock -the boundary between KP and Punjab -- if the issue was not resolved. The flour prices have increased from 200 to 300 per cent in the last couple of years.

The price of a 20 kilograms of flour bag was Rs1300 in early 2022. In 2020 and 2021 it remained between Rs 800 to Rs 1100. With the surge in the prices of flour, the rates of rice, pulses have increased considerably in the last few years. Family heads are finding it hard to feed families. Millions of families are concerned at the frequent increase in prices of the items of daily use and believe that these prices will never return to their original level.