July 16, 2010
Pakistani millers to challenge wheat movement ban
The Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) in Punjab has decided to challenge Sindh government's decision to lift wheat movement ban in the Sindh High Court.
PFMA Punjab's Vice Chairman Mian Mehmood Durrani said they were not convinced that the Sindh government would lift its ban as per the instructions of Nazar Muhammad Gondal, Federal Minister for the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MINFA).
PFMA ended its strike in the country on Monday when Gondal in a meeting with stakeholders assured the millers that he would get the ban lifted when Sindh Chief Minister visits Islamabad on Tuesday for a meeting on water disputes. The matter was then left for the Prime Minister to take up with Sindh's Chief Minister.
Sources said the meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday (July 13) discussed issues regarding the water dispute only and no talk was made on the inter-provincial ban over wheat movement. Additional Secretary Sindh Food Department Dr Azim ur Rahim said they have not received any instructions from the chief minister to lift the ban on wheat movement in the province. We have not received any such instructions so far.
Durrani said around 350 mills from Southern Punjab divisions Rahimyar Khan, Bahawalpur and Multan agreed to challenge the Sindh government's decision.
PFMA former chairman Dr Bilal Aslam Sufi said Supreme Court Bar Association former president Munir A Malik was preparing a case on behalf of the millers.
Durrani said if there was a ban on wheat movement in Sindh then it should be implemented and those officials who were asking bribery of INR15,000 (US$320.63) to INR20,000 (US$427.5) per truck should be held responsible.
According to the constitution, there should be no ban on the movement of food products within the country. Dawood said there were no restrictions on PFMA Punjab by the central leadership to go to court. They are allowed to file an application in the Sindh High Court.
PFMA Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chairman Mohammad Naeem But said despite of the government's permission to export wheat to Afghanistan, political agents were charging INR10,000 (US$213.83) per truck in the name of road-tax to allow them to cross the roads of the Khyber agency. Besides political agents, there were six police check posts between Peshawar to Torkham and each allegedly demands INR1,500 (US$32.08) per truck as bribery.
