“Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is a wheat deficit province and largely depends on inter-provincial supplies”
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi. Photo: File
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi has written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, urging him to “immediately intervene” against what he called “unconstitutional restrictions” on inter-provincial movements of wheat to the province.
Kundi said the restrictions “prima facie contravene Article 151 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, which explicitly guarantees freedom of trade and interprovincial relations.”
The Punjab government’s decision to restrict inter-provincial movement of wheat has drawn sharp criticism from the KP and Sindh governments, who accuse it of choking wheat supplies to their provinces.
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Floods and consequences in Punjab
Following recent floods, Punjab introduced a permit system to control the movement of wheat and flour, saying the system was aimed at curbing price rises in the province.
On September 7, Kundi had condemned reports of a ban in Punjab, saying the measures had pushed flour prices to around Rs 1,200 per 20 kg bag in Punjab and up to Rs 2,800 in KP, imposing an “unbearable burden on families already struggling with inflation”. The KP Assembly unanimously passed a resolution denouncing the restrictions and highlighting a 68 percent hike in flour prices. A national wheat policy approved earlier this month also clarified that interprovincial movements would not be restricted.
Despite this, the KP government wrote to Punjab on October 23, warning that the restrictions were disrupting supply chains, increasing prices and threatening food security. The province relies heavily on Punjab for its wheat supply, requiring around 14,500 tonnes per day. While Punjab allocated 2,000 tonnes under a permit system, KP said the quota was insufficient.
The issue was raised at a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on October 17, where officials from KP and the Flour Mills Association warned that stock shortages could worsen if restrictions continued.
Sindh PPP leaders also criticized Punjab for limiting the supply of wheat seeds. Last week, the KP chief minister reiterated that the restrictions violated the Constitution and the rights of the people of the province, ordering officials to demand the immediate removal of all barriers to ensure the free movement of wheat and flour.
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Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa consumes around 5.3 million tonnes of wheat and flour annually, and produces only 1.5 million tonnes locally, with the rest coming from Punjab and other provinces.
Flour millers and KP officials have expressed concern that the move violates constitutional rights and a recent deregulation agreement. Punjab authorities, however, denied imposing a formal ban, but acknowledged setting up checkpoints to monitor what they described as an “unusual” movement of wheat.
However, in a press conference yesterday, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari dismissed reports of any ban, terming the claims “baseless and misleading” during a press conference on Sunday.
Kundi warned that “such trade restrictions encourage illegal trade and hoarding within the province, further worsening the shortage,” adding that “Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is a wheat deficit province and largely depends on inter-provincial inputs to meet its essential food needs.”
