PESHAWAR:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Monday sought intervention from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to lift what he called “unconstitutional restrictions” on inter-provincial movements of wheat to the province, warning that the restrictions were endangering food security and fueling price distortions.
In a message posted on social media platform
“Such limitations not only affect the food security of the province, but also go against the spirit of cooperative federalism enshrined in our Constitution,” he said, expressing confidence that the issue would be resolved “under the leadership of the Prime Minister.”
In the letter he shared on
He said the restrictions violated Article 151 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of trade and relations between provinces.
“Any interruption in supply risks creating artificial shortages, increased prices and public hardship,” the letter said. He added that the restrictions “unintentionally encourage illegal and informal transportation of wheat by other means and routes, leading to uncontrollable distortions of supply in the open market.”
“This diversion is causing a rapid escalation in wheat and flour prices, which directly burdens the general public and could trigger unwarranted public resentment,” Kundi warned.
He asked the Prime Minister for “kind and immediate intervention in this matter and instructions to the authorities concerned” to lift restrictions and ensure “uninterrupted and legally protected movement of wheat” in the province.
“I remain confident that under your leadership, the constitutional rights of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be safeguarded effectively and without delay,” he said. This latest development comes amid simmering tensions between provinces over control of wheat transportation, with Punjab under fire from KP and Sindh for allegedly restricting the flow of wheat and flour across provincial borders.
However, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has repeatedly rejected these accusations, saying there is “no ban on inter-provincial movement of wheat” and that “the ongoing propaganda in this regard is baseless and contrary to facts.”
Following recent floods, the Punjab government tightened its grip on the movement of wheat and flour through a licensing system intended to contain rising local prices, a move the KP denounced as flour prices soared and shortages worsened. With contribution from News Desk
