PESHAWAR: Leaders of various political parties have flayed the government for the wheat flour crisis and asked it to take effective steps for curbing inflation and giving relief to the common man.

Qaumi Watan Party provincial chairman Sikandar Hayat Sherpao said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government could not overcome inflation as the prices of daily use items had registered a sharp increase.

He stated this while speaking at a public meeting at Watan Kor, where Pakistan Peoples Party’s former councillor from Peshawar city, Sadiq Akbar Safi, and others announced joining the QWP, according to a statement issued here on Sunday.

Sikandar Sherpao said the government was yet to provide any relief to the people in face of skyrocketing inflation.

The QWP leader said the government could not implement the so-called agenda of reforms and “wasted” billions of rupees on the ill-planned and ill-executed Bus Rapid Transit project instead of spending the huge amount on projects in health, education and other social sectors for the wellbeing of common people.

In a statement, former senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour termed the current flour crisis worst incompetence of the government.

Mr Bilour, who is also a leader of the United Business Group, a group of businesspersons, said the ‘incompetent’ government had turned the surplus wheat-producing Pakistan into wheat-importing country.

He alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan was responsible for the flour crisis as he was unable to take action against his party people involved in corruption.

Ahmad Bilour said the government was required to import wheat in November and December, but it didn’t pay attention toward impending flour crisis in the country.

He said the flour crisis was created due to ban on transportation of wheat to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from Punjab, saying it was worst example of incompetence by the PTI-led government.

Mr Bilour also criticised the government for establishing soup kitchens (langar khanas) instead of fulfilling its commitment of promoting industrialisation in the country.

Mr Bilour said the electricity tariff had increased twice in a month in the name of fuel adjustment surcharge.

Meanwhile, PPP MPA Ahmad Karim Kundi said his party would raise the flour crisis issue in the assemblies as the government had failed to address the matter.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2020