PESHAWAR, July 15: The Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) here on Thursday decided to start a country-wide strike from July 20 if ban on inter-provincial movement of wheat was not lifted by the date.

A PFMA central committee meeting, presided over by association's chairman Malik Niaz Ahmed, discussed in detail the situation arising out of the ban imposed by Punjab on the movement of wheat.

Restrictions on the transportation of wheat out of Punjab, imposed some two months ago by the provincial government, has hit the flour millers in the federating units other than Punjab, particularly, those belonging to the NWFP.

"More than 95 per cent of all the flour mills in the NWFP have been rendered non-operational due to the ban, leaving thousands of their employees jobless," said Mr Mohammed Naeem Butt, chairman of the association's NWFP chapter.

Speaking to Dawn after the meeting, which continued till late night, Mr Butt said the central committee had decided to give a country-wide strike call to flour millers from July 20 if Punjab did not lift the ban.

"For all practical reasons, flour mills in the three smaller provinces were experiencing closure due to the ban, therefore we have decided to go on a formal strike which would bring milling operations in Punjab also at a halt," said PFMA central chairman Malik Niaz Ahmed.

Mr Niaz said the PFMA stood united and the flour millers from Punjab had also given assurance that they would comply with the strike call and make it a success. The chairman and office-bearers of Punjab chapter also attended the Thursday's meeting and supported the strike call, he said.

"The strike would be for an indefinite period and would continue unless the ban is lifted," said Mr Niaz. Initially, the PFMA had set July 15 as a deadline to go on strike. However, said its central chairman, the association decided to delay it in the light of a recently-given assurance by Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujat Hussain that Punjab would be asked to lift the ban.

The association chief said: "The premier has also written an official letter to the Punjab chief minister instructing him to lift the ban". But, he said, it could not be complied with because of chief minister's absence from the country.

"We have delayed the strike from July 15 to July 20 as a gesture of goodwill because we believe that the chief minister will comply with the instructions given by the prime minister," said Mr Niaz.