Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari dismissed on Sunday allegations that the province is restricting flour supplies to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), calling the claims “contrary to facts.”

She said flour is being supplied transparently under a regulated permit system.

Azma Bukhari clarified that Punjab has not imposed any restrictions on the inter-provincial transport of flour or wheat. She said that under Article 18 of the Constitution, the provincial government has made a permit and digital recording system mandatory to ensure transparency and accountability in supply chains.

She emphasised that the first responsibility of the Punjab government is towards its citizens, adding that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has taken effective measures to ensure the availability of flour at reasonable prices across the province.

The minister credited Punjab’s stability in flour supply and pricing to what she described as Maryam Nawaz’s “people-friendly governance style,” which, she said, others are “unable to digest.”

She added that Punjab purchases and stores wheat for its citizens using taxpayer money to prevent price hikes.

“Punjab currently holds 885,000 metric tons of wheat, valued at approximately Rs100 billion—a clear sign of the chief minister’s far-sighted and systematic policies,” she said.

KP advised to utilise its own resources

Responding to KP’s claims of insufficient flour supply, the Punjab minister said that if Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s demand exceeds the flour it receives from Punjab, it should release its stored wheat or procure from the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO).

“Punjab cannot sacrifice the rights of its own people for the political spectacles of another province,” Bukhari said, urging KP’s leadership to focus on reopening its more than 200 closed flour mills instead of holding protests.

She remarked pointedly that “political slogans and Maula Jatt’s flames do not light people’s stoves,” suggesting that governance—not rhetoric—is needed to address food supply issues.

According to Azma Bukhari, the Punjab government is providing wheat to flour mills at Rs3,000 per maund to maintain stable flour prices and ensure continuous availability in the market.

She stressed that these steps were designed to protect consumers from inflationary pressures and ensure steady access to essential commodities despite political controversies.