QUETTA, June 22: Punjab has agreed to provide 100,000 tons of wheat to Balochistan. Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf discussed the issue with Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Tuesday.
Sources said Jam Yousuf apprised his counterpart of the wheat crisis being faced by Balochistan due to a ban imposed by the Punjab government on wheat movement to other provinces.
The Punjab chief minister said 100,000 metric tons of wheat would be provided to Balochistan immediately. The consignment is expected to reach Quetta in the first week of July.
The sources said Punjab had held out the assurance that it would fulfil the wheat requirement of Balochistan without any hurdle. Balochistan has been facing a wheat crisis for many months that has caused flour shortage in the province as the government stopped supplying wheat quota to flour mills.
Flour millers went on a strike in the first week of this month in support of their demand for the release of monthly wheat quota. They demanded that they should be allowed to import wheat until Punjab withdrew the ban on wheat movement between the provinces. The millers called off their strike on assurance of the Balochistan chief minister.
SECURITY STEPS: The Balochistan government on Monday decided to take more security steps for ensuring the protection of sensitive places and national installations in the province.
A meeting presided over by Chief Minister Jam Mir Mohammad Yousuf took serious notice of the law and order situation with special reference to the destruction of the Sui Airport building.
In view of increasing rocket attacks and other subversive activities, the meeting decided to take strict measures to deal with those involved in attacks on sensitive places and national installations.
"No one found involved in subversive activities will be spared," the chief minister said. The heads of the law-enforcement agencies briefed the chief minister about the law and order situation.
Provincial Home Minister Mir Shoaib Nausherwani, Finance Minister Syed Ehsan Shah, Chief Secretary Ashraf Nasar, Home Secretary Abdul Rauf Khan and officials of police, the Frontier Corps and the Levies attended the meeting.
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