An elderly woman allegedly died during a struggle to get free flour in tehsil Jatoe, district Muzaffargarh.
According to Rescue 1122, the health of the woman, namely Zahra Bibi, deteriorated due to the huge rush of people at the free flour point, at Moon Marriage Hall. Deputy Commissioner Agha Zaheer Abbas Sherazi constituted a special team to conduct an inquiry into the mishap. The deputy commissioner also visited the home of the deceased woman and expressed heartfelt condolences. He assured that those who were lethargic would be dealt strictly.
He directed the assistant commissioner concerned to make arrangements in such a way that there should be no huge gathering for smooth supply of flour. Meanwhile, taking notice of the incident, Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi ordered the suspension of DCO and DPO of Muzaffargarh. One person was killed and eight others injured during a stampede for free flour in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda on Thursday, the first day of the holy month of Ramazan. The price of basic food items has rocketed in recent months, with inflation at a near 50 year-high as the country grapples with a balance of payments crisis that has seen it forced back into negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
“Nine people were trampled and were taken to hospital where one person died,” said Muhammad Arif, police chief for Charsadda. Arif said that hundreds of people gathered at the local market for the handouts, one of hundreds of distribution points set up by the government during Ramazan. Millions of low-income families across the country are registered under the scheme. In a nearby district, a man died and four others were injured when a wall they were sitting on collapsed as crowds amassed for free flour.
Authorities told AFP it was not clear why the wall collapsed. Pakistan’s finances have been wrecked by years of financial mismanagement and political instability — a situation exacerbated by a global energy crisis and devastating floods that left a third of the country under water last year. The nation is deeply in debt, and needs to introduce tough tax and utility price increases to unlock another tranche of a $6.5 billion IMF bail-out and avoid defaulting. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Caretaker Chief Minister, Mohammad Azam Khan here on Thursday took notice of irregularities in the distribution of free flour among deserving people and directed officials to look into the matter.
