Wheat flour crisis: SHC issues notices to federal, Sindh governments for February 7

A petition was filed in Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday against the shortage of wheat, its smuggling and hoarding in the country. A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar issued the notices to Federal and Sindh Governments for February 7, 2020 after Mahmood Akhtar Naqvi filed the petition, seeking the court's order to constitute joint investigation team (JIT) into the wheat crisis in the country.

The federal government's ministries and Sindh government's departments have been made respondents in the petition. The petitioner submitted that flour crisis in the country has been created artificially and stated that flour was smuggled out of the country during the last six months according to the reports.

The petitioner said that mafia has planned to pocket billions of rupees by creating the flour crisis in the country artificially. He also stated that the government failed to tackle the situation viz-a-viz the flour crisis in the country.

The petitioner requested the court to constitute JIT to probe the flour crisis in the country as well as seek the details of flour, smuggled out in the last six months. The court sought the replies from the federal and provincial governments by adjourning the hearing of the petition for February 7, 2020.