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Jamaat-i-Islami Khyber Pakhtunkhwa North chief Inayatullah Khan has cautioned that the flour crisis in the province was deepening, with rates increasing almost every day, and appealed to both the federal and provincial governments to stop the situation from going out of hand, as reported by Dawn.
Addressing journalists on Sunday, Khan claimed that vehicles transporting flour were being halted at Attock and forced to pay bribes, resulting in acute shortages in Lower Dir and several areas of KP, where a 40kg flour bag was selling for up to Rs 6,000. He said the situation represented a blatant breach of Article 151 of the Constitution, which ensures unrestricted trade between provinces, adding that despite Khyber Pakhtunkhwa being a fundamental part of Pakistan, the federal government was dealing with the province unjustly. He also criticised the provincial administration for "failing to meet its constitutional and moral obligations," Dawn reported. Mr Khan said military operations were ongoing in various parts of the province, but emphasised that the rising insecurity must be addressed immediately, as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could not bear further loss of lives. He said that rather than conducting military operations, the capabilities of police and other civilian institutions should be strengthened to tackle the threat of terrorism. Meanwhile, speaking to reporters at the residence of party leader Maulana Wahid Gul in the Khar area of Bajaur, Inayatullah Khan urged that unrest in the merged districts be addressed through dialogue instead of military action. He conveyed sympathies to the family of the JI leader over Friday night's bombing that targeted his house, and said his party had consistently maintained a "principled position" that law and order issues in the tribal districts must be settled through peaceful approaches, not through force. The JI leader alleged that military operations in the tribal districts were not only leading to destruction and unrest but were also negatively impacting the socioeconomic conditions of residents, Dawn reported. Denouncing the bombing at Wahid Gul's residence, the Jamaat's provincial chief described it as a cowardly act, saying such incidents were unacceptable and aimed at silencing voices advocating peace. He said the relevant authorities must immediately apprehend those responsible for the attack, the Dawn report noted. (ANI)
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