LAHORE :The Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) has labelled Food Department of Punjab as a hub of corruption and called for impartial investigations into the shady policy followed by former DG Food, Amjad Hafeez, for release of wheat to give undue financial benefits to some selected flour mills. PFMA former chairman, Mr Badaruddin Kakar , termed Punjab Food Department as a tool which in his views Amjad Hafeez used as DG Food Punjab to make Pakistan’s flour industry hostage for his grinding his axe.
Addressing Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2026 , PFMA outgoing chairman Badaruddin Kakar said ” Former DG Food , Amjad Hafeez , was behaving like a ruling elite instead acting as a civil servant and all his actions as DG Food Punjab were meant to give favour to some mills in one province and devastate flour industry in other two provinces. He said Former DG Food Punjab imposed ban on movement of wheat , a staple food , to other provinces to achieve his goal. He said the ban on wheat movement by the Punjab government was meant to promote the culture of flour permits for the reason known to every body in this country.
Mr Badaruddin Kakar recalled that he as PFMA chairman called to former DG Food Punjab , Amjad Hafeez, but he did not take my call and then he left a message for him through WhatsApp to let him know what the people were saying about him. He said apparently there was the ban on wheat to transport from the Punjab to other provinces –Balochistan and KP –, but the mills in these both wheat deficient provinces were functioning. He sought the mechanism under which the mills in KP and Balochistan were getting wheat from Punjab during the ban period. Mr Kakar called for impartial inquiry into the supply of wheat from the Punjab to KP and Balochistan during the ban period.
Mr Kakar urged upon his fellow millers to forge unity among their ranks to resist any situation in the future like created by Amjad Hafeez.
The flour millers had been claiming in their letter written to the Chief Minister Punjab that Punjab Food Department under former DG Food Amjad Hafeez was indulged in unprecedented corruption . The mills of Southern Punjab were the first to point out corruption practices in the Punjab Food Department in Amjad Hafeez ‘s regime , but their calls remained unheard as the former DG Food Punjab was allegedly carrying out dirty practices under the protection of a power lobby of the ruling elite . After Southern mill owners’ whistle blowing , the flour mills of Rawalpindi region raised the same issues in a press conference in mid of September last. Like Southern millers , the millers in Rawalpindi region accused the Punjab Food Department of applying unlawful demands of money for issuing of wheat quota and flour permits. The millers of Rawalpindi region went a step forward to Southern Mill owners’ and they announced to shut down their industries and stop supplying flour to the market. These calls also remained fruitless as Amjad Hafeez kept on supplying wheat quota to a few mills in Lahore and nobody could stop him from following this selection-based policy to accommodate mills of his choice for favouring in huge wheat release till his last day in the office of the DG Food Punjab.
The country is right now facing unprecedented wheat and flour crisis . Many argue that Amjad Hafeez’s selection -based policy was instrumental in deepening wheat and flour crisis in the country.
Interestingly , the calls by millers of investigations into the handling of wheat procurement and then issuing of flour permits to some like minded mills have not moved any anti corruption bodies in the Punjab. It shows how powerful Amjad Hafeez was as DG Food Punjab and that his masters ensured that he goes untouched and no anti corruption body takes any action against him.
The federal government too is not taking courage to order investigations into the affairs of Punjab Food Department during Amjad Hafeez’s tenure.
Outgoing PFMA chairman, Badaruddin Kakar , was right in demanding to ask the government while addressing AGM that why it was having DG Food Office in Punjab when it had announced to follow a deregulated policy for the wheat sector.
Mr Kakar referred Haji Ibrahim of Rahimyar Khan, Asim from Lahore , Haji Yousaf from Karachi and newly elected PFMA chairman, Mr Naeem Butt’s name in his speech and hoped that PFMA under the new leadership of Mr Naeem Butt will strongly present the case of the industry and play a role in resolving its problems.
Meanwhile , the flour millers of Faisalabad have balmed that the Punjab government is supplying rotton imported wheat to them for grinding and supplying flour to the market to human consumption. Its a serious issue as it involves human lives. It needs to be investigated.
The Punjab Department of Consumers Protection has already declared the imported wheat as rotton and misfit for human consumption.