PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has urged Punjab to withdraw what it described as “restrictive measures” on the inter-provincial movement of wheat and flour, warning that the curbs have led to acute shortages and sharp price increases in the province.
In a letter addressed to the Punjab secretary for price control and commodities management, the KP Food Department said the restrictions were “inconsistent” with Article 151(1) of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of inter-provincial trade and movement of goods.
“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, being a wheat-deficient province, heavily relies on inter-provincial supplies from Punjab to meet its daily requirement of approximately 14,500 metric tonnes,” the letter stated. “The prevailing restrictions have severely disrupted the flow of wheat and flour into the province, thereby threatening food availability and destabilising market prices.”
The letter noted that while Punjab recently allowed the transportation of 2,000 metric tonnes of flour to KP under a permit system, the measure was “insufficient” to meet the province’s needs. It said repeated communications from KP’s chief secretary and other senior officials had failed to resolve the issue.
According to official data, the price of 100 kilograms of wheat in Peshawar rose from Rs6,175 on August 13 to Rs7,725 by August 28, reaching Rs10,675 by October 22. In comparison, the price stood at Rs9,975 in Karachi, Rs9,375 in Lahore, Rs9,600 in Rawalpindi, and Rs10,000 in Quetta on the same date.
The KP Food Department said the Flour Mills Association had repeatedly warned of depleting wheat stocks and looming shortages if the restrictions continued.
Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who chaired a meeting on the issue earlier this week, condemned Punjab’s move, calling it “a blatant violation of the Constitution and an attack on the rights of KP citizens.” He accused Punjab of “hiding behind political differences to deprive citizens of basic necessities.”
Punjab introduced tighter controls on inter-provincial wheat and flour movement after the recent floods, implementing a permit system to prevent local price hikes. While provincial officials have denied imposing a formal ban, they confirmed establishing checkpoints to monitor what they described as “unusual” wheat movement.
Critics argue that the restrictions contravene both constitutional guarantees and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent directive that no province should impose limits on the inter-provincial transport of wheat under the Wheat Policy 2025–26.
