Ex-PFMA Punjab chairman for fair wheat quota distribution and smoother inter-provincial transport

By Our Correspondent

LAHORE: Mr. Abdul Rauf Mukhtar, former Chairman of the Pakistan Flour Mills Association (Punjab), has urged Chief Minister Punjab, Ms. Maryam Nawaz Sharif, to take immediate notice of the severe crisis facing the flour milling industry in District Rahim Yar Khan. The crisis, he said, has resulted from restrictions on the inter-provincial movement of flour, fine flour (maida), and bran, as well as from the unequal distribution of government wheat quotas. He pointed out that South Punjab continues to face persistent neglect in these matters.

Mr. Mukhtar stated that the ban on inter-provincial transportation of flour, fine flour, and bran is a direct violation of the Constitution of Pakistan and of basic human rights. These restrictions, he emphasized, have gravely disrupted the production activities of flour mills in Rahim Yar Khan, pushing the industry to the brink of collapse.

He further expressed concern that government wheat quotas are being distributed non-transparently to a few favored districts and select flour mills. He stressed that the Chief Minister of Punjab is not merely the Chief Minister of Lahore but of the entire province, and therefore every district should receive equal rights and access to resources. He lamented that the flour mills of South Punjab, particularly those in Rahim Yar Khan, are being subjected to discriminatory and unjust treatment.

Mr. Mukhtar added that the Food Department has been issuing permits for the inter-provincial supply of flour, fine flour, and bran only to select districts, while denying the same to flour mills in Rahim Yar Khan. Consequently, Lahore has become the sole beneficiary of these policies, while the districts of South Punjab are suffering significant losses. He also noted that even when permits are granted, flour mills are compelled to supply their products exclusively to Lahore.

In his concluding remarks, Mr. Abdul Rauf Mukhtar made a respectful appeal to the Chief Minister to ensure that the distribution of wheat quotas is transparent, fair, and equitable across all districts. Such a measure, he said, would enable flour mill owners and thousands of workers to sustain their livelihoods with dignity and would protect the flour milling industry from complete collapse.