PESHAWAR: The special assistant to chief minister on food, Dr Mohammad Israr Khan, has said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has started releasing 2,000 metric tonnes of wheat daily from its provincial strategic reserves, a move that has begun reducing wheat and flour prices in the province.
In a video statement issued on Wednesday, he said that 20,000 bags of wheat, each weighing 100 kilograms, were being supplied to flour mills every day to ensure the availability of affordable flour.
He said that provincial government had fixed the price of a 20kg flour bag at Rs2,520. He urged consumers to monitor the quality of flour produced from government-supplied wheat.
He appealed to people to immediately report any substandard flour to relevant authorities.
Mr Israr said that any mill, found supplying substandard flour, would face cancellation of its wheat quota in addition to legal action. He said that government was utilising all available resources to ensure supply of affordable and quality flour to people. However, he alleged that the Punjab government’s policies contributed to rising flour prices across the country.
He alleged that Punjab, with the backing of federal government, imposed restrictions on inter-provincial movement of wheat and flour in violation of Article 151 of the Constitution.
He also claimed that district administrations and police in Punjab were not allowing wheat and flour consignments destined for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to pass without illegal payments, adversely affecting the supply of essential food commodities.
Mr Israr urged the federal government to immediately remove what he termed restrictions on inter-provincial movement of wheat and flour or allow the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and local traders to import wheat from neighbouring countries.
He said that quality wheat could be imported from nearby countries at lower prices. He added that local traders and investors would ensure quality control while the provincial government would also maintain effective oversight.
Mr Israr said that if the federal government neither restored free inter-provincial movement of wheat and flour nor permitted import of wheat, it would bear responsibility for any future shortages or increase in prices.
Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2026