PESHAWAR, Aug 4: The All Pakistan Flour Mills Association will give a call for a countrywide strike if the ban on inter-provincial movement of wheat is not lifted by Aug 12.

The decision was taken by the association’s central executive committee at a meeting held here on Monday, announced Mohammad Naeem Butt, chairman of the association, at a press conference soon after the session.

Office-bearers of the association from the four provinces attended the meeting.

The meeting had been convened to review the crisis being faced by the flour mill industry of the country in general and three provinces in particular in the aftermath of the ban imposed by the Punjab government on inter-provincial movement of wheat.

“Flour millers from the four provinces are united and demand immediate lifting of this illegal ban,” said Mr Butt in the presence of provincial chairmen of the association.

Criticising the Punjab government, Mr Butt said the ban on wheat movement had confronted consumers and flour millers with numerous problems.

Wheat, he said, was a national product, but the Punjab government had not been allowing its movement to other food-deficient provinces since December 2007, which was against the law and the constitution. Citing section 151 and 152, he said these constitutional provisions prohibit any kind of ban on movement of food items.

He said the flour mill industry of the three provinces had recorded their protest time and again and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had also announced lifting of the ban, but to no avail.

Habib Laghari, chairman of the association’s Punjab chapter, criticised the Punjab government’s policy of issuing permits for flour transportation to other provinces, adding: “This is promoting corruption.”

He urged the Punjab government to immediately lift the ban and allow free movement of wheat.Mr Butt was of the view that at present there was no shortage of wheat in the country, but a crisis-like situation had been created because of the mismanagement.

He said the association had approached the Prime Minister’s Secretariat to have a meeting with Mr Gilani to resolve the issue.

He said they would wait for the government’s response and if it did not respond, a call for a countrywide strike would be given on Aug 12.

PPI adds: Mr Butt said the Punjab government had promised the association’s NWFP chapter to supply seven tons of wheat on daily basis, but later it went back on its words, leading to the closure of 240 flour mills in the Frontier province.

He also criticised what he called unjustified raids on flour mills in Sindh, alleging that the government’s move was aimed at pressurising flour mill owners.

He said that in Balochistan, flour mills had been handed over to the National Accountability Bureau to maintain check and balance over them and create an artificial flour crisis all over the country.