SWABI: Wheat flour crisis further deepened here in the district as its price jumped by Rs500 to Rs3,100 per 20-kilogram bag with traders saying flour supply from Punjab had been suspended.

Traders said on Monday two days ago the 20kg bag was available at Rs2,600 on the local market, but its price shot up to Rs3,100 as the mill owners jacked up the rate.

The consumers alleged the subsidised wheat flour was only distributed among the ruling PTI workers, and the utility stores usually remained short of commodity.

Rohal Amin, a resident of Topi city, said people were unable to get the basic staple to feed their families.

Shaukat Ali, a resident of Swabi district headquarters, claimed leading politicians and entrepreneurs were involved in flour smuggling to Afghanistan, and asked the government to takes steps for curbing the illegal practice to ease the crisis locally.

Mohammad Ali, president of Anjuman-i-Dokandaran, said they were receiving a truckload of flour from Punjab after every two days, but that too had been stopped for last eight days over unknown reasons.

He said more increase in price of flour could not be ruled out amid the prevailing crisis, adding if the government failed to take timely action, flour crisis might reach alarming proportions.

He said the PTI government was responsible for the entire mess because it did not procure enough wheat keeping in view the provincial demand.

The Swabi deputy commissioner and the district food controller were repeatedly contacted to know their version, but they did not attend the calls.

DISPUTE RESOLVED: A jirga and dispute resolution council members resolved a land dispute in Jalbai village on Monday.

The elders persuaded both the parties to ink an agreement, shunning their acrimony.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2023