Angry mob loots flour trucks in Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan.

PESHAWAR -- People waiting for free flour looted flour trucks in provincial capital and Dera Ismail Khan on Monday while residents of Bannu, Lakki Marwat, Khyber and Abbottabad took to streets to protest unavailability of the commodity in their districts.

In Peshawar, flour looting incident took place near a park on Ring Road where hundreds of people including a large number of women were waiting to receive free flour.

Video footage of the incident shared on social media showed a large number of people swarming the truck as soon as it arrived on the scene. Many of them climb the truck and start throwing bags of flour. The drivers then sped away to escape the mob. Video footage also showed people fighting over looted flour and trying to snatch bags from each other.

On the other hand, Chamkani police told Dawn that they detained 40 people over looting the flour truck on Ring Road.

An official said that the detained people were kept in the lockup as no FIR was registered against them so far. 'We are waiting for the district administration's decision as to what to do with those currently being held in the lockup,' he said.

Protests held against non-availability of commodity in Bannu, Lakki, Khyber and Abbottabad

However, district administration kept a mum on the issue. The deputy commissioner was not available for comments on the issue.

Also in Dera Ismail Khan, flour trucks were looted at two distribution points.

Flour was brought in four trucks to a college in Darazinda tehsil of Dera Ismail Khan district for free distribution among deserving people. During the distribution of free flour, enraged people attacked the trucks.

The enraged mobs looted one truck out of four and police resorted to baton charge to disperse the crowd. The local administration said that the flour distribution process was stopped but resumed later.

Another truck was also looted in Kulachi tehsil.

According to the management of Sarhad Flour Mills, the truck was sent to Kulachi for free distribution of flour among deserving people. It said that few bags could be distributed as per rules but people climbed the truck and took away flour bags. It said that stones were pelted at the truck crew.

The truck crew told Dawn that not even a single bag of flour was left as people did not wait for their turn.

Also, women held demonstrations against non-provision of free flour in Lakki Marwat and Bannu on Monday. They gathered on Bannu-DI Khan road near the fruit and vegetable market...