ISLAMABAD, Feb 20: At a time when the government has spent Rs64 billion on wheat imports to cope with the commodity shortage, huge quantities of wheat flour are being smuggled to Afghanistan via NWFP allegedly in connivance with the officials of district food department, Rawalpindi.

According to sources, district food department has approved supply of 75,000 bags of 20-kg per day for a population of 30,000 in tehsil Murree near the NWFP boundary.

The Rawalpindi food department had issued a total of 110 licences for wheat flour supply for tehsil Murree, out of which 35 licences issued for village Barian, 30 for Ghora Gali and 11 for village Kohalla. The villages are located near the border of the NWFP.

According to the population census 1998, the combined population of these three villages is around 20,000 whereas through 71 licenses and several special permits the three towns are getting about 30,000 wheat-flour bags per day.

Tehsil Nazim Murree Sardar Saleem confirmed to Dawn that about 200 trucks carrying wheat flour cross the border to NWFP every day. Sardar Saleem said six routes -- Barian to Nathia Gali road, Ghora Gali to Lora, Dewal to Kohalla, Chatter to Broha, Osea to Malkot and Tret to Orukuch road – were being used for smuggling from Punjab to the NWFP.

Saleem said that the smugglers used hand written referrals from influential politicians of the area to cross the border. He said in first week of January 2009, he had captured a convoy of 87 trucks while crossing provincial borders and handed them over to high ups in food department and police but no action has been taken to stop the smuggling.

According to Sardar Saleem, the total demand of wheat flour for Tehsil Murree has been estimated at 5 trucks or 2500 bags of 20-kg per day whereas the food department is releasing hundreds of thousands of bags per day.

Nazir Ahmed Abbasi, Nazim Union Council Bakote, Abbottabad told Dawn that he himself was witness to the wheat flour smuggling. In his observation about 100 jeeps, carrying wheat flour bags cross the provincial border through the union council Bakote every night, and the practice has been continued for the last several months. The jeeps transport the bags to Nathia Gali where the bags are shifted in trucks for onward journey.

According to Nazir Abbasi, the people of the area have protested several times against the smuggling. He said that he himself went to the office of DSP Nathiagali along with a delegation to complain about the huge illegal transportation of wheat flour but in vain. He also alleged that the illegal transportation has been taking place in the presence of policemen and food department staff at provincial border pickets.

However, there was a pause in the illegal movement of wheat flour for a short span when the roads were blocked due to heavy snowfall.

When contacted, the District Food Controller Mohammad Babar said that the department has allocated wheat flour to Murree according to the demand and his department had nothing to do with the smuggling.

Mr Babar said the Rawalpindi Food Department had 143,000 tons of wheat in its stocks, which was enough for 65 days. Furthermore, the department would receive 2200 tons of commodity from the imported wheat.

Senior Superintendent Police Ahmed Hussain Chaohan said the food department had the authority to stop or allow any inter-provincial movement of wheat. He said the police posted at provincial borders along with staff of food department could only take action if Punjab government requests.