PESHAWAR, Sept 15: The NWFP chapter of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) has criticized the federal government for not releasing wheat quota to flour mills in the province. The issue of wheat availability was discused by the newly-elected office-bearers of the PFMA during a meeting held here on Thursday, said a press release. The PFMA provincial cabinet demanded of the federal government to immediately release the wheat of the flour mills in the NWFP and save the province from any crisis.

The meeting urged that the government should abolish “unjustified” Regulatory Duty on the export of flour. The unnecessary tax had crippled the flour mills in the province owing to decline in flour export to Afghanistan.

The PFMA also asked the NWFP government to include flour mills in the list of those industries which were given 25 per cent concession in electricity consumption.

Earlier, the members of the PFMA elected Malik Iftikhar Ahmad Awan as chairman of the association for the year 2005-06. Haji Siyyar Gul (Peshawar), Iqbal Shah (Mardan), Haji Sartaj Khan (Malakand), Malik Suleman (Hazara), Ghaniur Rehman Khattak (Kohat), Dr Sayyed Shahid Abbas Khan (Bannu) and Bahauddin Khan (Dera Ismail Khan) were elected vice-chairmen of their respective regions.