Correspondent, Islamabad: Pakistan, which has reached the state of beggars, has been experiencing extreme food shortages for the past few months. Shahbaz Sharif government has decided to distribute flour for free to poor people on the occasion of Ramadan. And while taking that flour, many poor people have to lose their lives by being trampled in haste. In Punjab alone, 11 people lost their lives due to trampling in the last few days. Many were injured.
On Tuesday, two women lost their lives in a stampede in the four districts of Punjab, Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Muzaffargarh and Okara, after getting money for wheat. Another 60 people were seriously injured. There was widespread unrest at the Quaid-e-Azam Stadium in Sahiwalpur over the distribution of wheat. Police had to resort to baton charge to control the situation. And an old woman named Nasima Akhter died after being trampled. A few days ago there were tragic incidents like trampling to death while picking wheat in Faisalabad, Multan and Jehaiwan.
Supervising Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi is worried about the increasing number of deaths in the rush to distribute wheat. He held a meeting with senior officials and ministers of the administration on Wednesday. In that meeting, it was directed that the Minister and government officials will visit the distribution centers during the wheat break.
