Pakistan is dealing with the worst-ever flour crisis faced by the country in years, with rising reports of wheat shortages and stampedes in several areas of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa regions. People in Pakistan are forced to stand in queues for hours daily to get subsidised bags of flour that are already short in supply, The Express Tribune reported.
The tussle between Pakistan’s federal government and the Punjab government is responsible for the flour crisis, as per reports. Sources say the Punjab food department is being unable to correctly estimate how much wheat was required to be imported.
Zamarak Achakzai, Balochistan’s Minister for Food said the province’s wheat stock has “completely ended.”
He added that Balochistan is in dire need of up to 400,000 sacks of wheat and warned that the crisis could intensify in case there is no supply. He further said that Balochistan did not receive the requested stock of wheat which was promised by Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi.
Achakzai added that Balochistan was 85% dependent on Punjab and Sindh for the supply of wheat and accused both provinces of imposing a ban on the export of the commodity.
Armed guards dispatch wheat as prices skyrocket
Armed guards have been deployed to provide security to vans and mini-trucks distributing wheat amid instances of chaos with people desperated to get their hands on the supply. Clashes have been reported at flour dealers and tandoors over wheat prices.
Prices have skyrocketed amid the ongoing wheat crunch in Pakistan with flour in Karachi being sold for Rs 140-160 per kilogram.
Meanwhile, in Peshawar and Islamabad, 10 kg bags of wheat are selling for Rs 1,500 while 20 kg bags are going for Rs 2,800, The Express Tribune revealed.
Meanwhile, mill owners in Pakistan’s Punjab province have raised flour prices to Rs 160 per kg.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a 20 kg bag of flour is selling for Rs 3,100.
Chaos and stampedes are being reported from various parts of the country. A stampede at a flour distribution site in Mirpurkhas led to the death of a 40-year-old man. Two women and one girl were injured in a stampede in Sakrand town of Shaheed Benazirabad in Sindh.
Crisis hinders economic reforms
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday requested the IMF to pause its demands for economic reforms in the country as the nation is still trying to deal with the aftermath of the catastrophic 2022 floods. The IMF wants Pakistan to withdraw the remaining subsidies on electricity and petroleum products.
As Pakistan deals with a crumbling economy alongside a simmering political crisis, prices of all food items in addition to other commodities have increased over the past couple of years in the nation and the governments have been accused of taking no measures to control the situation, The Express Tribune report stated.