LAHORE: Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi on Friday announced sending 21,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Balochistan to help the province meet its needs.

Chairing a meeting of the cabinet committee on wheat to review the latest situation of stocks and flour prices, the CM noted that the federal government was responsible for supplying wheat to other provinces, including Balochistan. But it had failed to fulfil this important responsibility.

“Balochistan requested the Punjab government to provide 10,000 tonnes, but we decided to send 21,000 metric tonnes – more than their requirement,” Mr Elahi said.

Punjab would go all-out to meet the food needs of other provinces, he further said, adding a zero-tolerance policy would be followed against the wheat mafia. To stop smuggling of the crop, additional police force would be deployed at all the exit routes, Elahi said and directed the police chief and additional chief secretary (home) to implement the plan for strict monitoring of the exit routes.

The meeting also deliberated upon the proposal for supplying wheat to chakki owners at the government level, while the food secretary briefed on the wheat reserves and flour prices. It was noted that 1,541 first information reports had been registered and a fine of Rs39 million imposed on charges of smuggling.

GRANT TO SCBA: The chief minister also presented a cheque of Rs100 million to Abid Zuberi, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, and said welfare of the legal fraternity was always a priority for the government.

The role of the lawyers’ community was important for the provision of justice, the CM said, adding his doors were always open to them. The government considered the community an important organ of society and more steps would be taken for their welfare, he added.

Mr Zuberi appreciated that the government was working in the real sense for the welfare of the lawyers.

PARLIAMENTARIANS: Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi and MPAs Zainab Umair, Syeda Zahra Naqvi, Shamim Aftab, Bilal Asghar Warraich, Irfanullah Khan Niazi, Abdul Rahman Khan, Aamir Nawaz Chandio, Nadeem Qureshi, Amjad Mahmood Chaudhry, Chaudhry Sajid Mahmood, Javed Kausar, Khadija Umer, Rana Shahbaz, Ghulam Ali, Asghar Khan and other members of the assembly met Chief Minister Parvez Elahi at his office and discussed matters of mutual interest.

The CM appreciated that the MPAs created history by resisting every kind of intimidation and coercion. The “political horse traders” failed while democratic norms of the Constitution, truth and justice prevailed. The government had ensured inclusion of people from all regions in the composite development process. The development work had been started in consultation with the parliamentarians, the CM concluded.

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2023