Peshawar ( Khyber Point) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Finance Adviser, Muzzammil Aslam, has strongly criticized the government over the rising wheat and flour prices, accusing policymakers of siding with hoarders at the expense of farmers and the public.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Aslam said the last bumper wheat crop in Pakistan was in 2022, but since then, farmers have been in deep distress. “When farmers suffer, the entire population of 250 million suffers with them. Pakistan cannot prosper until its farmers are prosperous,” he asserted.
He alleged that while the government took credit for procuring wheat at lower rates, the grain was diverted to private stockpiles controlled by profiteers. As a result, the price of a 40-kilogram wheat bag has soared to Rs. 3,943 — the highest in 72 weeks — reflecting a staggering 50 percent hike. “Is a 50 percent increase a joke?” he questioned.
According to Aslam, the flour that should cost Rs. 70 per kilogram is now being sold at Rs. 120, burdening ordinary citizens. “The government claims inflation has ended, but inflation has destroyed the poor,” he added.
Rejecting official narratives linking wheat shortages to recent floods, the adviser said: “The wheat crop has already been harvested, and stocks are available for the coming year. How can the floods be blamed when the next harvest is still 7 to 8 months away?”
He accused a powerful “wheat mafia” of manipulating supplies under political patronage. “This crisis is not about nature; it is about policies. The mafia has protection, and the price hike is being wrongly tied to floods as an excuse,” he said.
Aslam warned that unless the government breaks the monopoly of hoarders and ensures fair support for farmers, both food security and economic stability will remain at risk.
