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Islamabad [Pakistan]Jan 10 (ANI): Pakistan is facing its worst flour crisis ever, with wheat shortages reported in parts of the country, stampede in several parts of Khyber Pantukhwa, Sindh and Balochistan
According to The Express Tribune, thousands of people are spending hours every day buying subsidized flour sacks that are already in short supply.
When small trucks and vans escorted by armed guards began distributing flour, scenes of chaos were often seen, with people gathering around the vehicles and shoving each other.Multiple clashes reported between flour dealers and tandoors
Wheat and flour prices have soared amid the ongoing crisis in Pakistan, The Tribune reported.
The price of flour in Karachi ranges from Rs 140 to Rs 160 per kg. In Islamabad and Peshawar, a 10-kg bag of flour is sold at Rs 1,500 per kg, while a 20-kg bag is priced at Rs 2,800. Flour mill owners in Punjab have raised flour prices to Rs 160 per kg.
Balochistan Food Minister Zamarak Achakzai said the province’s wheat stocks were “completely depleted”. Balochistan needs 400,000 sacks of wheat immediately, he said, and warned that otherwise the crisis could intensify.
Likewise, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is also facing its worst flour crisis ever, with international news reporting that a 20kg bag of flour was selling for Rs 3,100 after the government failed to control and stabilize prices.
One person was killed in a stampede in Mirpurkas during the sale of subsidized flour by the Sindh provincial government to the people, Tribune Express reported. The deaths occurred near the commissioner’s office when two vehicles carrying 200 bags were selling flour at Gulistan-e-Baldia Park.
As mini trucks sold 10kg sacks of flour at Rs 65 per kg, people gathered around the vehicles pushed each other to get the sacks, according to news reports.
Harsingh Kolhi, a 40-year-old laborer, fell on the road during the chaos and was trampled by those around him, police said. Kolhi’s family is demanding action against food department officials, the Tribune reported.
Similar chaotic scenes were seen in other parts of Sindh province, where flour was sold by small trucks or vans. Two women and a minor girl were injured in a stampede outside a flour mill in Sakrand township, Shaheed Benazirabad, while buying flour at government prices.
VOA Diwa said in a tweet that residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa complained of a shortage of wheat flour and called on the government to end the crisis and provide subsidized flour.
According to a tweet, a resident of Peshawar revealed that people, both poor and rich, are concerned about wheat flour. The resident added that a person can only buy flour once a week.
The situation has angered people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province as tandoors have also raised the price of bread, according to international news reports. With the exception of bread, all baked goods are sold at premium prices.
According to The News International, tens of thousands of people are having to spend hours every day to get subsidized packages that are already in short supply. According to the Tribune, prices of all food and other goods have been rising over the past few years and the government has done nothing to control the situation.
Several clashes have been reported between flour distributors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Indian tandoors over prices over the past few weeks. A few days earlier, a passer-by was killed in Pishtakhara when two locals clashed with a tandoor owner over bread prices before opening fire on him. Several people were also injured while distributing subsidized flour.
According to the Express Tribune, sources have revealed that a fight between the federal government and the Punjab government is responsible for Pakistan’s wheat crisis. The source added that based on news reports, the Punjab food department could not correctly estimate how much wheat would need to be imported.
Meanwhile, Balochistan Food Minister Zamarak Achakzai revealed that wheat stocks in the province have been “completely depleted”. He stressed that according to the Tribune, the commodity crisis in Balochistan is “intensifying”.
Zamarak Achakzai told a news conference that Balochistan had not received the needed wheat stocks. He said Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi had pledged to send the full stockpile. However, he didn’t deliver on his promise.
Speaking at a news conference on the issue, Zamarak Achakzai said Balochistan has not received the required wheat stocks. Balochistan relies on wheat from Punjab and Sindh for 85 percent of its wheat, he said, adding that exports of the commodity are banned in both provinces.
“Of the 200,000 sacks of wheat, 10,000 sacks have been received,” Zamarak Achakzai was quoted as saying by the Tribune newspaper. “They had asked Punjab CM to send 600,000 sacks,” he added. (Arnie)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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