Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Monday sought Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s intervention to lift the "unconstitutional" restrictions on the supply of wheat to the province.
In a letter to the prime minister, Kundi raised concerns over the restrictions on the supply to KP, which, he said, was a wheat-deficient province and depended "substantially on inter-provincial inflows" to meet its requirements.
Terming the restrictions unconstitutional, the KP governor said that Article 151 of the Constitution guaranteed freedom of trade among the provinces.
His letter follows the federal government's approval of the Wheat Policy 2025–26, setting the procurement price for the commodity at Rs3,500 per maund (40 kilogrammes).
The policy was approved during a meeting chaired by PM Shehbaz on October 19, in which officials said that there would be no restrictions on the inter-provincial movement of wheat.
However, the KP governor said that restrictions on inter-provincial movement of the commodity to the province risked "creating artificial shortages, price escalation and public hardship" which may impact inter-provincial harmony.
Kundi maintained that restrictions on the supply were also encouraging illegal and informal transportation of the commodity, resulting in "uncontrollable supply distortions in the open market".
Wheat and flour prices have been rising in the province due to supply disruptions, he said, adding that the general public was being affected the most by it.
The KP governor concluded by requesting that PM Shehbaz immediately intervene and ensure the uninterrupted supply of wheat to the province.
In a separate letter to Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, the KP governor urged the restoration of the Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) domestic and international flights from Peshawar.
Kundi stated that a private airline was operating with "absolute monopoly" due to the lack of PIA flight operations from the capital city of KP.
The monopoly was causing serious inconvenience to passengers as well as the business and trade community owing to exorbitant fares and limited seat availability, he added.
The KP governor also called for the restoration of PIA's international flights from Peshawar, particularly to the Gulf and Middle Eastern countries, where, he said, a large expatriate population from KP was employed.
Kundi maintained that the suspension of the PIA's international flights caused hardship for overseas Pakistanis and their families, "who are heavily dependent on direct and affordable connectivity" with their homeland.