The Punjab Food Department has abruptly cancelled wheat procurement permits issued to all flour mills in Rawalpindi Division, sparking an acute flour crisis in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) has issued a 24-hour ultimatum, warning that unless the permits are immediately reinstated, all flour mills in the division, including those supplying Islamabad, will shut down and suspend flour distribution.
Emergency Meeting and Ultimatum
The decision was strongly condemned during a joint emergency meeting of the PFMA's Punjab chapter and Rawalpindi Division, chaired by Punjab Chairman Riaz Ullah Khan. Association leaders stated that the latest action followed protests held two days earlier against what they described as the registration of 'unjustified' criminal cases and First Information Reports (FIRs) against flour mill owners by the Punjab Food Department. According to the PFMA, the department subsequently suspended permits allowing mills in Rawalpindi Division to procure wheat from producing districts, effectively disrupting the legal movement of wheat into the region.
Impact on Flour Supply
Addressing the meeting, former PFMA Vice Chairman Raza Ahmed Shah and other leaders rejected the department's decision and declared the permit cancellations unacceptable. They warned that if the permits were not restored immediately, flour mills would be shut down and the supply of flour to markets across Islamabad and Rawalpindi would be suspended entirely. The warning has heightened concerns over a potential disruption to flour supplies in both cities, which rely heavily on wheat transported from surplus-producing districts due to the region's limited local wheat production.
Criticism of Food Department
PFMA representatives criticised the Food Department for repeatedly taking measures that, they claimed, were driving up wheat prices and, consequently, increasing the cost of flour. They alleged that the department was creating unnecessary obstacles to the lawful transportation of wheat into Rawalpindi, resulting in avoidable hardships for consumers. Describing Rawalpindi Division and Islamabad as non-wheat-producing areas, the association stressed that the region's flour requirements depend entirely on wheat imported from surplus-producing districts.
