ISLAMABAD/Rawalpindi: The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) has restored issuance of wheat permits to 45 flour mills in the federal capital, flour mill owners said on Wednesday.
The Islamabad-based flour mill owners have alleged that the PFA had suspended the wheat supply to Islamabad without any formal notification or written order.
According to the mill owners, the Islamabad Capital Territory administration took up the issue with the PFA for earliest restoration of wheat supply.
“We have been called for a meeting by a Rawalpindi based deputy director of PFA,” one of the participants of the meeting told Dawn.
The deputy director told the meeting that the suspension of wheat supply permit had been withdrawn, he said, adding now the supply of wheat will come at the level of Rawalpindi.
The Rawalpindi chapter of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) has welcomed the decision of the Punjab government for withdrawing the restriction. The association said mills in Islamabad cater to the needs of Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Murree and Kotli Sattian.
It said flour mills located in Islamabad’s I-9 and I-10 industrial areas had been allowed to procure wheat from Punjab to meet the flour requirements of the twin cities.
Pakistan Flour Mills Association (Punjab) Chairman Riazullah Khan said flour mills had been established in Islamabad to meet the flour requirements of the twin cities.
He said the PFD had historically regulated Islamabad’s flour mills through its Rawalpindi office. However, in recent months, wheat supplies to the mills had repeatedly been suspended on various pretexts, creating uncertainty for millers.
The PFD had developed an online portal for issuing wheat permits and had itself registered Islamabad’s flour mills on the system. It added that the mills continued to be regulated by the Rawalpindi Food Department and had fully complied with all directives issued by the Punjab authorities.The association hoped uninterrupted wheat supply to the federal capital.
Pickets set up to check wheat smuggling
To prevent wheat smuggling, the food authorities have set up nine checkpoints throughout the Rawalpindi district, along with a police security plan to avoid any unpleasant incident.
However, in the absence of food department officials, the police would not be deployed at the checkpoints, the security order issued on Tuesday suggested.
As many as nine checkpoints have been established by the food authorities in Potohar and Saddar divisions to prevent smuggling of wheat, while a special security plan has been devised to avert any untoward incident.
In addition to the police, food department officials were required to be present at the checkpoints as in their absence, the police would not be deployed.
The SHO concerned would be responsible for ensuring the presence of officials of the district food department at the checkpoints.
The police deployed at the checkpoints will be equipped with weapons/ammunition which will be checked before joining the security duty to ensure that the weapons were operative.
The SP Special Branch will deploy their personnel at the checkpoints, while due to prevailing security situations, the police deployed at the checkpoints will be briefed about their duty strategy and to keep alert all the time.
The police officials who have been deployed at the checkpoints will be wearing bullet proof jackets.
In addition to the police, food department officials were required to be present at the checkpoints.
In Taxila circle, a checkpoint has been established at Bahatar Moor with one ASI and three constables being deployed in the first shift starting from 8a.m. to 8p.m. Similarly, one ASI and three constables will be deployed in the second shift starting from 8pm to 8am.
The ASI heading the police constables will be equipped with wireless set and his subordinates with weapons. The second picket has been established at City Flour Mills in Wah Cantt area while the third picket has been established at Piswal near Sungjani interchange.
Other pickets have been established at Ganju Bahadur Taxila, Farooqia Taxila, M-1 interchange, Fateh Jhang.
In Kahuta Circle, pickets were established at Baver Kahuta, Kallar Syedan Mangal by-pass.
SP Potohar Sardar Babar and SP Sadar Division Anum Sher would be incharge of all police deployment arrangements, while the SSP Operation Malik Tariq Mehboob will be responsible for overall supervision.
Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2026