ISLAMABAD, July 29: On the intervention of Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the federal government directed the Punjab government and Passco on Thursday to release a total of 200,000 tons of wheat to the NWFP
to end flour crisis in that province, Dawn has learnt.
Accordingly, the Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee (IPCC) that remained in session for over six hours on Thursday decided that 100,000 tons each would be released by Punjab and Passco to the NWFP where most of the mills are closed at present.
The meeting was presided over by Water and Power and Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao. However, the ban on inter-provincial movement of wheat imposed by the Punjab government would remain intact and the release of 100,000 tons of the commodity to the NWFP would take place on government-to-government level, the sources said.
The Punjab government would release 100,000 tons of wheat to mills in the NWFP on the recommendation of the NWFP government at the rate of Rs410 per 40kg, Mr Sherpao told Dawn after the IPCC meeting.
When asked, he declined to say at what price the Passco would provide wheat to the NWFP but said the Passco's wheat would reach the province in two equal instalments of 50,000 tons.
The meeting was attended by NWFP Food Minister Fazle Rabbani, Punjab Food Department Secretary Shahid Raja, IPCC Joint Secretary Tahir Ali Shah and representatives of the federal food ministry and NWFP government.
Mr Sherpao said the flour mills of the NWFP would bear the transportation cost to carry wheat from stocks in Punjab to the NWFP. Responding to a question, the minister said the NWFP government would immediately send an official request to the Punjab government and soon after its receipt Punjab would release the commodity from its stocks nearest to the NWFP.
Inside sources said the Punjab food secretary opposed the release of wheat to the NWFP quoting ban on movement of wheat and said he had no mandate from the provincial government to lift the ban.
At this, Mr Sherpao tried to contact Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who, along with Punjab Chief Minister Pervez Elahi, was in a meeting with President General Pervez Musharraf that also prolonged for a couple of hours and the IPCC meeting continued to wait for a long time.
Later, Mr Sherpao had telephonic contacts with the prime minister, the Punjab chief minister and the finance minister that enabled the IPCC to reach an agreement for the release of 200,000 tons of wheat to the NWFP.
Mr Sherpao said the quantity of wheat was sufficient to overcome crisis in the NWFP because till such time it is consumed the imported wheat would arrive and the situation would ease out.
