PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa advocate general informed the Peshawar High Court on Tuesday that flour prices in the province would stabilise by June 15 as the Punjab govenrment had lifted the ban on transportation of wheat and flour to it.

AG Shumail Ahmad Butt told a bench consisting of Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Ahmad Ali that KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had taken up the wheat restriction issue with Prime Minister Imran Khan complaining it had led to an increase in flour prices in the province.

He said the Punjab government later removed restrictions.

The AG said flour prices would stabilise in the province by June 15.

In a lighter vein, the bench asked him to ensure that the government doesn’t do a U-turn on the issue.

While hearing other cases, the bench had taken note of the flour and petrol shortages last week and directed the provincial government to inform it about the corrective steps taken by it.

Govt says flour prices to stabilise by 15th

During proceedings, Justice Qaiser Rashid observed that long queues of vehicles and motorcycles could be witnessed at filling stations for petrol.

He observed that the government first failed to ensure smooth flour supply to the people and later didn’t check petrol shortage driving the people from pillaer to post for fuel.

When the bench asked who was responsible for petrol crisis, the AG replied that it was responsibility of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority to supervise such things.

The bench observed that the Ogra had failed to perform its duty, which resulted in the people’s problems.

The AG said filling stations had blamed the issue to a halt to petrol supplies.

The bench directed deputy attorney general Ahmad Saleem to contact the regulator to ensure the smooth supply of petrol to the people.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2020