LAHORE, April 4: The Pakistan Flour Mills Association has threatened to close flour mills in case of ‘continued interference’ by the food department, police, rangers and district governments.

Punjab PFMA President Habibur Rehman Leghari said at a press conference here on Friday that the government, which had no stocks of wheat to meet requirements after April 15, was trying to find some scapegoats to cover up its failure.

He claimed that police during their raids on flour mills in Lahore, Gujranwala and Sheikhupura last night had ransacked offices besides thrashing employees.

He said that the flour mills were not responsible for any flour shortage anywhere because it was being sold through the district coordination officers. He said there was no ban on inter-district movement of wheat but its movement from Rajanpur to Dera Ghazi Khan was not only prevented but an FIR was also lodged.

He said that the government should formulate a wheat policy under which only food department and flour mills should procure it. Any third party should not be allowed procurement as it would result in hoarding.

“Efforts to prevent wheat procurement by flour mills will result in confrontation,” he warned.