KARACHI: The Sindh food department on Monday informed the Sindh High Court (SHC) that the ban on the inter-district movement of wheat had been lifted.

The Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA), along with three flour mills operating in the provincial metropolis, had petitioned the SHC in May and impugned the ban imposed on the movement of the commodity.

Last week, the SHC had observed that it was a very important issue and directed the food department secretary and director to appear before the court.

At the outset of the hearing on Monday, the food director turned up and informed the bench that the ban had been lifted.

However, the counsel for the petitioners argued that a letter issued in May about the limited movement of wheat had not been withdrawn yet. The director contended that the same had also been called back.

On the directive of the bench, the director filed a written statement, along with an undertaking, about the withdrawal of the letter in question. Therefore, the bench disposed of the petition.

The petitioners had contended that Karachi division was not a wheat growing area and they, along with around 90 other Karachi-based mills, were exclusively dependent on the supply of wheat from other districts of Sindh and provinces.

Earlier, the food department secretary and director in their comments had contended that in order to meet the flour requirement of Karachi, 100,000 tonnes of the imported wheat had been arranged from the federal government and supplied to flour mills in the city.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2023