Flour Is the Biggest Expense for Poor Pakistanis, But Its Price Rose 81% Under Shehbaz Sharif: Asad Umar
ISLAMABAD (Qudrat Daily) – Former Finance Minister Asad Umar has said that flour is the biggest expense for poor Pakistanis, but its price has increased by 81 percent during Shehbaz Sharif’s tenure. In a post on X, he stated that the price of flour has risen by 21 percent compared to last year. During Shehbaz Sharif’s tenure, the price of flour increased by 81 percent, and conditions are so bad that the poor have reduced their food intake by 16 percent. Flour is the biggest expense for poor Pakistanis.
According to the World Bank, half of the poorest people in the entire region are Pakistanis.
آٹے کی قیمت پچھلے سال سے 21% بڑھ گئ۔ شہباز شریف دور میں آٹے کی قیمت میں 81% اضافہ۔ حالات اتنے خراب کہ غریبوں نے اپنی خوراک 16% کم کر دی۔ آٹا غریب پاکستانی کا سب سے بڑا خرچہ ہے۔ ورلڈ بینک کے مطابق پورے خطے کے نصف غریب ترین لوگ پاکستانی ہیں۔ کیا آٹے کی قیمت جس سے کروڑوں پاکستانیوں کی زندگی مشکل ہو رہی ہے،اور جو مزید بڑھنے جا رہی ہے، اس پر بھی کوئی پریس کانفرنس ہو گی؟ کل جماعتی کانفرنس ہو گی؟ نیشنل ایکش پلان بنے گا؟
— Asad Umar (@Asad_Umar) October 9, 2026
Will there be any press conference on the price of flour, which is making life difficult for millions of Pakistanis and is set to rise further? Will there be an all-parties conference? Will a National Action Plan be formed?
Furthermore, according to a report, flour prices continue to rise due to the increasing cost of wheat. Over the past ten days, small flour mill atta became more expensive by ten rupees, reaching 180 rupees per kilogram, while flour mills’ 2.5-number atta reached 155 rupees per kilogram. Wholesalers and Grocers Association leader Abdul Rauf Ibrahim, terming the daily increase in prices as alarming, said that due to the continuous rise in wheat prices, flour prices are also increasing. Wheat has reached 135 to 140 rupees per kilogram, and flour mills have also increased atta prices by 10 rupees in ten days. According to Abdul Rauf Ibrahim, flour mills’ 2.5-number atta has reached 155 rupees per kilogram, while flour mills’ fine atta has reached 170 rupees. Inflation has broken the backs of the public, and the daily increase in flour prices is an injustice. Abdul Rauf Ibrahim further said that imported wheat will arrive in November, prices of pulses have already increased by 20 percent, and if measures are not taken, the price of flour could reach 250 rupees per kilogram.
