PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Food Zahir Shah Toru has strongly reacted to the rising prices of wheat flour in the province, blaming the Punjab government’s ban on wheat and flour supply to KP for what he termed as an attempt to create an “artificial crisis.”
In a statement issued here on Wednesday, the minister said the Punjab government, through its unjust policies, had stopped hundreds of trucks loaded with wheat and flour belonging to KP’s flour millers and dealers at Attock and other entry points, preventing them from entering the province.
Toru said that due to this ban, the price of a 20-kilogram bag of flour in KP had surged to Rs 2,800, making it increasingly difficult for the common man to afford a basic staple.
“The Punjab government is continuously violating Article 151 of the Constitution, which allows the free movement of goods and trade within the country,” the minister said. He added that around 83 per cent of KP’s wheat and flour requirements are met through supplies from Punjab, PASSCO and imported wheat.
He further stated that despite Pakistan having over 33 million metric tonnes of wheat stock, and Punjab holding a surplus well beyond its needs, the province had imposed restrictions that were both unjustified and unconstitutional.
The minister lamented that KP, already suffering from the effects of terrorism and natural disasters, was now being subjected to what he termed “flour warfare” by the Punjab government, making people’s lives miserable.
Zahir Shah urged the federal government and relevant institutions to take immediate notice of Punjab’s unconstitutional actions and ensure the restoration of inter-provincial food trade in the spirit of national unity and cooperation.
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He also appealed to the public, media, and social media users to raise their voices against what he described as Punjab’s discriminatory and anti-constitutional policies aimed at destabilising the food supply in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
