It was only recently that Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said that the Sindh government was hand in glove with the mafia fleecing the consumers by selling wheat flour at higher rates. According to him, the Sindh government is responsible for adding insult to the injury of people by not releasing the public stock of wheat to the flour mills. The Sindh government has rejected federal government’s allegations by pointing out that it (the Sindh government) releases wheat on October 15 every year. The minister concerned has also ‘explained’ why wheat is not released before October 15. Be that as it may, this ‘war of attrition’ between the two governments unfortunately does not ease people’s growing concerns about the availability of wheat flour in market amid news that the country’s economic policymaking body, the ECC, has allowed import of a huge quantity of wheat to ward off a looming wheat crisis in the country. Through this letter I demand federal and provincial governments stop doing politics over wheat as they are actually required to cooperate and coordinate with each other with a view to ensuring that people are not fleeced by hoarders or anybody else.

A. RAHIM KHAN (KARACHI)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021