The country is once again on the brink of a wheat shortage due to two reasons. The first is the refusal of the Sindh government to allow trucks to deliver wheat to Punjab, and the second is the panic buying countrywide that is further exacerbating the situation. It is important to honour agreements between all parties to ensure implementation of necessary measures to mitigate the crisis at hand. At a time when delay can spell disaster for vulnerable people, such negligence should not go unnoticed. The Sindh government needs to provide an answer for reneging on its promise of providing wheat to flour mills in Punjab.

The corona pandemic is not a provincial issue; it concerns the entire country. It is crucial to ensure coordination between the provinces and the centre to present a unified front that effectively deals with the challenge. If there are indeed any genuine concerns, the Sindh government should clearly highlight them so that necessary measures can be taken to address them as soon as possible.

The federal government should play a proactive role, particularly if the lack of cooperation is resulting in a countrywide shortage. It is important at this time to rise over petty political squabbles and work towards removing hindrances that are negatively affecting the performance of respective governments. All concerned parties ought to be vigilant and strive to take the lead in bridging these gaps between opposing political sides so that precious time is not lost. If the situation is not managed in a timely fashion, the ultimate victim would be citizens, who are already quite agitated due to the corona pandemic, price hikes and shortages in basic commodities. To effectively lead the population during such trying times, it is necessary to take cognisance of the fact that business as usual will simply not get the job done.