Bread shortage worsens as bakers' strike spreads

Naanbais threaten to extend protest beyond Nov 10, expand to other cities

RAWALPINDI:

On the fourth consecutive day of the naanbais' (bread makers') strike on Saturday, the sale of roti, naan, and paratha remained completely paralysed across the city.

Residents were compelled to travel long distances in search of bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. With tandoors closed, the demand for chapatis, bakery buns, loaves, and sheermal surged sharply as citizens sought alternatives.

The Naanbai Association has announced that, starting, November 10, the strike will be extended to all six districts of the Rawalpindi Division, resulting in the closure of tandoors throughout the region. Meanwhile, an ongoing dispute between the Food Department and flour mill owners over wheat permit allocations has prompted mills to suspend flour supplies to the twin cities from Monday and cancel all pending orders - a move expected to precipitate a severe bread and flour crisis in Rawalpindi Division and Islamabad.

Efforts by the district administration, Punjab Food Authority (PFA), and police to compel the reopening of tandoors by arresting oven owners and workers have failed. Most tandoor operators and Naanbai Association leaders have reportedly gone into hiding to avoid arrest.

Speaking to reporters, Naanbai Association President Shafiq Qureshi declared that bakers would no longer sell cheap bread made from costly flour, nor would they be drawn into negotiations that lead to detentions. He noted that when Maryam Nawaz assumed office as Chief Minister of Punjab, the price of a 79-kg sack of wheat flour stood at Rs 5,500, which has now soared to Rs10,500. Similarly, fine flour (maida) has risen from Rs6,200 to Rs12,200 per sack, while the price of a commercial gas cylinder has jumped from Rs9,000 to between Rs13,000 and Rs15,000. Electricity tariffs and shop rents, he added, have also doubled.

"Under such circumstances," Qureshi said, "we cannot sell a roti for Rs14 and let our children go hungry. We are purchasing the most expensive flour and being asked to sell the cheapest bread. If the government provides subsidised wheat flour at Rs6,000 per sack and maida at Rs7,000, we will resume selling affordable roti. But we will not allow our families to be ruined."

He further announced that the strike would continue indefinitely until the association's demands were met, adding that a 'Fill the Jails' (Jail Bharo) campaign would be launched within the next two days. Lists of volunteers willing to court arrest are already being compiled. The strike, he warned, would soon expand across Punjab, with tandoors in Islamabad also joining the protest following ongoing consultations with the Islamabad Naanbai Association.

Meanwhile, public frustration continues to mount amid the prolonged shutdown. Hafiz Sajid, a senior citizen, lamented that households were already suffering from acute shortages of natural gas, leaving women unable to cook at home. "Buying bread from tandoors is not a luxury - it's a necessity," he said. "There is no gas at home, and now even the tandoors are closed. Where are citizens supposed to go? The government must engage the nanbais in meaningful dialogue and resolve the issue before matters worsen. Either make flour affordable or provide subsidised supplies to tandoors."