KARACHI – In order to restrict the entry of Punjab’s wheat into Sindh and ensure the sale of its available wheat stocks, the provincial government has imposed Section 144 on the borders, it has been learnt.
Well-placed sources told Pakistan Today that on Friday, the Sindh Food Department forwarded a letter to the Home Department, asking the latter to impose restriction at the provincial borders and instruct the local police to check the movement of wheat particularly from the Punjab province.
District coordination officers (DCOs) and food inspectors were directed to check the movement of the commodity at the borders strictly, so that Sindh could sell out its own available wheat stocks.
Around 900,000 metric tonnes of wheat is stored in the warehouses of provincial authorities while the Punjab has more than double the stock. The flour millers prefer to purchase wheat from Punjab due to lower prices as compared to Sindh.
During the assembly session on Thursday, Sindh Food Minister Nadir Magsi had also expressed reservations about the purchase by the flour mills of wheat from the Punjab government.
“Sindh is unable to sell its wheat due to non-stop supply from Punjab. We will have no money to procure wheat for the next season, if the available stock is not sold,” the minister had stated.
Usually, the Sindh government imposes a ban on inter-provincial movement of wheat during the wheat procurement season and lifts it after the completion of the process. However, imposition of Section 144 at this stage is only aimed at restricting the entry of wheat from Punjab into the province.
Sources said the surveillance centres at the border of Sindh with Punjab and Balochistan have been established and if wheat was caught being transported to Sindh, it would be seized at the borders.
