Islamabad [Pakistan], May 4 : The Flour Mills Association of Pakistan has announced an indefinite shutdown of all mills, Pakistan-based ARY News reported.
Chairman of the Flour Mills Association Chaudhry Aamir in a press conference said that the flour mills will be forced to go on strike from 7 pm on Thursday because the food department has cheated them.
He said that when the mills had gone on strike due to the ban on the arrival of wheat from inside Sindh to Karachi, at that time the provincial Food Minister had promised five million bags of wheat. Those were enough for the mills of Karachi for two months. On the assurance, flour mills ended the strike, according to ARY News.
Aamir said that the mills were supposed to receive nine lakh bags by April 30 and the remaining 11 lakh bags of wheat by May 10 but the food department cheated them, and to date, they have received only four lakh bags.
The chairman of the Flour Mills Association said that due to this situation, 70 per cent of the flour mills in Karachi have stopped working and more flour mills are going to be closed. There is a severe crisis of flour in the city.
He announced that if their demands are not accepted, the flour mills will be shut down from 7 pm on Thursday and this shutdown will last for an indefinite period, as per ARY News.
Meanwhile, Dawn recently reported that an elderly woman died at a free wheat flour point in the Khangarh region of Muzaffargarh in Pakistan due to a large number of beneficiaries as it was the last day of distribution of free flour bags. Her death was the fourth casualty in Muzaffargarh as three deaths have occurred in the mayhem during flour distribution.
The rescue officials identified the woman as Jannat Mai who appeared to be above the age of 60 years. According to rescue officials, Jannat Mai collapsed at the flour distribution centre. She was given first aid before being taken to the hospital after her health deteriorated, as per the Dawn report. However, Jannat Mai did not survive despite the efforts of the hospital staff.
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