Pakistan: Mansehra villagers allege fraud in distribution of free flour

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 6 : People of Mansehra village in Pakistan have alleged fraud during the distribution of free wheat flour by the administration, Dawn reported.

The villagers said that free flour was meant for deserving families. However, some groups were illegally taking the flour from the distribution points in the region.

Maulana Waqar Ahmad of the Jullo village council said, "A group, which is working hand in glove with flour distributors designated by the district administration, has received free flour that was meant for around 400 families of my village."

Ahmad, who was accomped by a group of villagers and local body representatives, said when the deserving families reached the distribution points for flour, the people working there did not give them flour claiming their bags had already been collected, as per the Dawn report. He said the majority of the victims of the fraud belonged to Jullo, Bohraj and Basund and adjoining areas.

Meanwhile, chaos erupted outside a flour distribution centre in Peshawar after police fired tear gas shells at the crowd, Dawn reported. The people pelted stones at police officers for obstructing their entrance to the centre.

The incident took place on April 1 when the people tried to enter the Hayatabad Township sports stadium to receive free wheat flour under a government scheme. According to a police official, no one was injured in the incident, as per the news report.

Speaking to Dawn, a police official said that the district administration used volunteers from civil defence and the police to manage crowd and flour distribution. He said that the police allowed people to enter from one gate and leave from another after taking flour bags.

According to a police official, a mob tried to make a forced entry into the stadium after the entry of 200-250 people. The police official said that police personnel stopped the people from entering the stadium and they started pelting stones at them, as per the Dawn report. He said that police personnel started using gas shells to disperse the people.

Meanwhile, the Jamaat-i-Islami orgsed a protest march in the Arang neighbourhood in the Utmankhel tehsil of the Bajaur tribal region, where they alleged corruption, irregularities, and poor management in the distribution of free flour. The protesters chanted slogans against the government, administration and food department accusing them of poor distribution arrangements.