Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has said that no province has the authority to restrict the movement of food and commodities to another province, stressing that inter-provincial trade is a constitutional right.
He made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation of the Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination, which called on him to congratulate him on assuming office.
The participants discussed the recent restrictions imposed by the Punjab government on the free movement of wheat. Commenting on the issue, Afridi said that Article 151 of the Constitution guarantees inter-provincial trade, adding that no province can block the supply of food grains to another. “Political differences aside, there must be no politics over people’s bread and livelihood,” he said.
The chief minister described the senators as ambassadors of the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and stressed the need for inter-provincial cooperation to resolve the wheat supply issue.
Members of the delegation included Senators Dilawar Khan, Mohsin Aziz, Naseema Ehsan, Nasir Mehmood, Hidayatullah Khan, Niaz Ahmed and Musaddiq Masood. Advisor to CM on Finance Muzammil Aslam, Food Secretary Shah Mahmood, and other officials also attended the meeting.
