Curbing flour smuggling Centre’s job not province’s: KP minister

While reacting to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s statement that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government should stop the wheat and flour smuggling to Afghanistan, KP Food Minister Atif Khan has reminded the federal government that it is Centre’s responsibility to end smuggling of the commodity, not the vice versa, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

In a video message on Sunday, KP Food Minister Atif Khan said first of all, flour was not being smuggled to Afghanistan. And if at all the commodity is being smuggled out, then it’s federal government’s responsibility to curb it, he said adding that the premier should hold federal departments accountable for that.

Atif Khan reminded the premier that the authorities which controlled the border movement, they came under the federal government’s control. He said earlier (in PTI stint) there was not any smuggling of the commodity. “But if the wheat and flour are being smuggled out, the federal government should act to stop it,” he added. 

He further demanded of Prime Minister Shehbaz to ensure the wheat transportation from Punjab after lifting an embargo on the provincial flour transportation. 

The provincial food minister said there was no dearth of flour and the province had enough stock of it. He denied any hike in the Atta price.