LAHORE, Sept 22: The Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA), Punjab chapter, has challenged ban on inter-provincial trade of wheat by the Punjab government and registration of criminal cases against mill owners in this regard.

PFMA’s Punjab chairman Habibur Rahman Leghari, through his petition, alleged that the Punjab government on May 17 last ordered the mills not to transfer and purchase wheat, flour and other products of the wheat without the permission of the Food Department. He submitted that after procurement of wheat from farmers, the government imposed an unannounced ban on trade of wheat flour with other provinces.

He submitted that after getting this direction from the government, the Food Department and the police started an action against mill owners and registered criminal cases on charges of smuggling of wheat and related products to other provinces.

The petitioner said to counter government’s action, the association passed a resolution on Aug 28 to challenge the criminal cases and the ban on inter-provincial trade in the LHC. He argued that according to the Constitution, the government has no legal right to stop inter-provincial trade. —APP