The government has been distributing free flour. However, inadequate planning has created a chaos at the distribution points, leading to injuries and even deaths.
A man was killed and four others injured during a stampede at a free flour distribution point in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda district on Thursday.
According to the details in the media, thousands of people had gathered at the distribution points. However, due to improper planning, the flour was sent back from the distribution point, triggering panic among the crowd. This resulted in a stampede claiming the life of a 40-year-old man.
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The video of the stampede at the Charsadda free flour distribution point is making the rounds on social media. While sharing the video, former provincial minister Taimur Khan Jhagra criticised the incumbent government for the way the flour was distributed.
“Will Azam Khan be accountable for this? The food minister? The cabinet? The CS? The caretaker government approved Rs 20 billion in spending for which it does not have the authority and implemented it in a manner below human dignity. And now causing deaths,” Taimur Khan said on Twitter.
Will Azam Khan be accountable for this? The food minister? The cabinet? The CS?
The caretaker govt approving Es 20 bln spend for which it does not have the authority, and implementing in a manner below human dignity. And now causing deaths. https://t.co/oQMteEocBj— Taimur Khan Jhagra (@Jhagra) March 23, 2023
Pertinent to mention that this is the third such incident across Pakistan claiming the life of a person. Earlier in Muzaffargarh, an elderly woman died during a stampede at a free flour distribution point at Sarwar Shaheed Chowk on Monday. The 50-year-old Taaj Bibi fell down due to the stampede by the crowd pushing to get flour bags early and died on the spot.
In a similar incident, in Faisalabad, a stampede at a flour distribution point claimed the life of a citizen after the government announced the distribution of free flour sacks among deserving families. The incident happened when an elderly citizen, who came to collect flour from a distribution point, sustained heavy injuries during the stampede, rendering him unconscious. He was taken to the General Hospital where he breathed his last.
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