Treasury, opp condemn Punjab's wheat, flour ban

In a rare show of unity, the treasury and opposition benches of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly came together on Tuesday to condemn Punjab's decision to restrict the supply of wheat and flour to the province.

The House unanimously passed a joint resolution declaring the ban a violation of Article 151 of the Constitution, which guarantees free trade between provinces.

The resolution, tabled by PPP's Ahmad Kundi, demanded that Punjab immediately lift all restrictions on the inter-provincial movement of wheat and flour.

It expressed serious concern over Punjab's sealing of provincial borders and creating hurdles in the supply of essential commodities to K-P, terming such moves unconstitutional.

The House also urged the K-P government to take up the matter with both the federal and Punjab governments to ensure adherence to the Constitution and uninterrupted provision of food staples.

Food Minister Zahir Shah Toru clarified during the session that the K-P government would not purchase wheat in the present circumstances, as doing so would cause a loss of Rs5 billion to the provincial exchequer.

However, he revealed that Punjab had assured K-P of supplying 50,000 metric tons of flour on a monthly basis.

During the debate, treasury member Shafi Jan, raising a point of order, said Punjab's restrictions had already led to a sharp rise in flour prices, causing severe hardship to the people of K-P.

Members from opposition parties, including PPP's Ahmad Kundi, JUI-F's Adnan Khan, PML-N's Jalal Khan, and PTI's Fazal Elahi, supported the claim, warning that K-P was facing a shortage of both wheat and flour.

They stressed that Punjab's ban amounted to a violation of constitutional provisions, noting that "the Constitution guarantees free trade between provinces".