ISLAMABAD: Various aspects of the import and preservation of the stocks were reviewed during the first meeting of an inquiry committee, led by the cabinet division secretary, on the alleged import of wheat worth Rs330 billion, which was held here on Sunday.
In response to Dawn’s inquiry, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar stated, “The committee worked today on verifying data and documents.”
Anwaarul Haq Kakar, the former caretaker prime minister, Shamshad Akhtar, the former finance minister, and the current interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, the former chief minister of Punjab, were all mentioned in the media. The minister refuted these reports, saying, “No one was called or interviewed.”
The minister stated, “The report is under preparation and has not been presented to anyone,” in reference to the information in the media reports about the inquiry report’s contents. He also said that the reports concerning the meeting with Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister, were untrue.
According to media reports, the investigation has so far shown that the caretaker setup bought wheat worth Rs330 billion between August 2023 and March 2024, of which 1.3 million tonnes of wheat were determined to be fungus-contaminated and therefore unsafe for human consumption.
However, the minister of information declared that the stocks were “wholly safe and functional.”
According to the media, the previous government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which was led by the PML-N, decided not to import wheat until July 2023.
The report claims that 700,000 tons of wheat valued at Rs80 billion entered the nation during the current administration, while 2.8 million tonnes of wheat were imported for Rs250 billion during the last caretaker government. In all, $1.1 billion was exported from Pakistan in order to import the good.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promised to “protect the interests of farmers at all costs,” but it didn’t seem like the federal government was willing to look into the massive swindle in detail and prosecute those in charge at the time of the import.
The media claims that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), led by the PML-N, decided not to import wheat until July 2023 under its previous administration.
According to the report, the current administration brought in 700,000 tonnes of wheat worth Rs80 billion, but the previous caretaker government imported 2.8 million tonnes of wheat for Rs250 billion. To import the good, Pakistan exported a total of $1.1 billion.
Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister, pledged to “protect the interests of farmers at all costs,” but it didn’t appear that the federal government was prepared to conduct a thorough investigation into the vast scam and bring charges against those responsible for the import.
Earlier during the day, reports were making rounds in the media that Mr Kakar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had been summoned by the fact-finding committee, prompting the committee head to issue a clarifying statement. Kamran Ali Afzal said the committee had not summoned Mr Kakar and Mr Naqvi. However, former caretaker finance minister Shamshad Akhtar had reportedly been summoned by the committee.
PM Sharif chaired a meeting at his Model Town home on Saturday, where he addressed issues about wheat procurement through Passco and established a committee under the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to resolve farmers’ complaints about selling their wheat and getting wheat bags within “four days.”
A statement from PM House claims that in order to give farmers the most advantage possible, the federal government is acquiring 1.8 million tonnes of wheat through Passco.
The prime minister gave the relevant officials instructions to personally oversee the wheat procurement procedure and guarantee that farmers are paid on schedule.
According to sources, the country saw a bumper crop this year, as predicted by the previous PDM regime. However, because of stocks that had already been dumped at the government-owned storage facility Passco, the government was hesitant to purchase the new crop from the farmers at the agreed-upon price, which forced the growers to demonstrate in the streets and sell their produce for a low price in the private sector.
The present government is finding it increasingly difficult to resolve the issue because it cannot afford to incur the wrath of the farmers, who are now receiving support from the main opposition PTI.
