PESHAWAR:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Monday sought Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s intervention to lift what he called “unconstitutional restrictions” on the inter-provincial movement of wheat into the province, warning that the curbs threatened food security and fueled price distortions.
In a post on social media platform X, the governor said he had written to the premier urging his “immediate intervention to lift the unconstitutional restrictions” on wheat transport to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
“Such restrictions not only affect the food security of the province but also go against the spirit of cooperative federalism enshrined in our constitution,” he said, expressing confidence that the issue would be resolved “under the leadership of the prime minister”.
In the letter he shared on X, the governor described the restrictions as a “serious concern” and pointed out that KP was a “wheat-deficient province and is significantly dependent on inter-provincial inflows to meet its essential food needs”.
He said the restrictions violated Article 151 of the constitution, which guarantees free trade, commerce and intercourse between the provinces.
“Any interruption in supply risks creating artificial shortages, price escalation and public distress,” the letter said. It added that the restrictions “inadvertently encouraged illegal and informal transportation of wheat through alternative means and routes, resulting in uncontrollable supply distortions in the open market”.
“This diversion is causing rapid escalation of wheat and flour prices, directly burdening the public and triggering potentially unwarranted public anger,” Kundi warned.
He requested the Prime Minister’s “kind and immediate intervention in this matter and guidance to the authorities concerned” to withdraw the restrictions and ensure “uninterrupted and legally protected movement of wheat” into the province.
“I remain confident that under your leadership the constitutional rights of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be protected effectively and without delay,” he said. The latest development comes amid simmering inter-provincial tensions over control of wheat transport, with Punjab under fire from both KP and Sindh for allegedly curbing the flow of wheat and flour across provincial borders.
However, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has repeatedly denied the allegations, maintaining that “there is no ban on inter-provincial movement of wheat” and that “ongoing propaganda in this regard is baseless and contrary to facts”.
In the wake of recent floods, the Punjab government had tightened its grip on wheat and flour movements through a permit-based system to contain local price increases, a move KP condemned as flour prices rose and shortages widened. With input from the News Desk
