19 October 2004	Tuesday	04 Ramazan 1425

ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: The scarcity of flour and increase in its price with the advent of Ramazan is a self-evident proof of the incompetence of the government, said the PML-N information secretary, Siddiqul Farooque.

In a statement issued here on Monday. he said the ruling clique, including the prime minister and the Punjab chief minister, had announced decrease in the prices of essential items, but flour vanished from the markets on the first of Ramazan while wheat price climbed to Rs500 per maund in the open market.

He said certain hoarders were responsible for price hike, because they had stashed huge stocks of wheat with bank loans.

He added that the scarcity of flour was also due to cutting down of wheat supply to mills to 150 bags per day as against 500 bags per day before Ramazan.

The PML-N leader said prices of other essential items had risen; mutton was being sold at Rs250 per kilogramme, peas at Rs35, and onions at Rs20 and tomato at Rs45 per kilogramme.

He said the poor and middle class people were hard hit with the price rise, while jobs for daily wage workers had dwindled due to Ramazan. He urged the government to take immediate notice of the situation and arrange supply of essential food items on fixed rates.