THIS is with reference to the letter ‘Of shattered dreams and KP destruction’ (Jan 23). Among the several governance issues that the people of Khyber Pakhtun-khwa (KP) have been facing, the lingering matter of wheat shortage is a rather critical one. Due to such shortages, the price of flour has surged to Rs2,800 for a 20kg bag.

However, it is surprising that workers of the ruling party in the province recently staged a sit-in at the Chief Minister House, and they were promised immediate normalisation of wheat supply. This was surprising because the government has been claiming that 80 per cent of flour mills in the province have closed due to wheat supply curbs imposed by Punjab. The whole scenario suggests that current shortages are nothing but a deliberate tactic to weaponise public hardship.

People largely know it is an artificial crisis that has been engineered to incite hatred against the federal government and Punjab, and the aim is to mobilise unrest ahead of the party’s planned protest.

Wheat is a basic need for every house-hold. But the KP government’s ineptitude has left families vulnerable. Rising prices and empty shelves disproportionately burden the poor in a province already grappling with economic woes. This is not governance; it is gamesmanship.

The party, which once championed the cause of transparency, now appears to be the architect of division, prioritising political gains over provincial welfare.

The party’s leadership must be held accountable. Pakistan deserves better than leaders who turn bread into a political weapon. The people of KP, resilient as ever, look forward to solutions, not staged crises.

Inam Khan Durrani
Mardan

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2026