ISLAMABAD: Expressing displeasure over the ‘delay’ in wheat procurement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed provincial governments to complete the process by June 1.

Presiding over a meeting the prime minister directed the Minister for Food Security and Research Tariq Bashir Cheema to set up an urgent committee for transparent distribution of imported wheat in the provinces.

The prime minister said the people could not be made to suffer and the federal government would provide flour at a lower prices.

He directed to fix the price of 10kg bag of wheat flour at Rs490 at the Utility Stores and also stressed the need for taking steps to ensure the same price in open market in the provinces.

He said such a delaying approach could not be tolerated and vowed that the federal government would extend all possible assistance to provinces.

He said beyond politics, the federal government would do everything possible to help the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2022