Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan said in a press conference after the federal cabinet meeting that Prime Minister had allowed export of surplus stocks of sugar during the current year to support sugarcane growers.
Talking to the media she said, “Prime Minister Imran Khan informed the cabinet that initial inquiry reports into recent sugar and the wheat crisis was released on his directives and that he had allowed export of sugar this fiscal year to support sugarcane growers.”
The government declares that the decision to make the report on the wheat and sugar scandal public denotes the prime minister’s resolve to punish the responsible individuals for price hikes.
As Jahangir Tareen and Khusro Bakhtiar have been named as beneficiaries of the support given on the export of sugar, it is still not obvious who will be declared responsible for allowing the export of sugar and then giving the subsidy.
Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan said, “Keeping in view the misery of sugarcane farmers, the prime minister allowed export of surplus sugar, with a condition that in case of local need sugar will not be exported.”
Recently, two reports on the current sugar and wheat crisis in the country were made public. The reports exposed Jahangir Tareen, Khusro Bakhtiar, and Monis Elahi as being involved in getting undue benefits in exporting sugar and hiking its price in the local market.
Prime Minister Imran Khan had ordered strict action against those found involved in the crises “irrespective of their status and party affiliation.”
Sources revealed that Imran Khan removed Mr. Tareen from the office of PTI’s task force after his name came in the inquiry report for getting “undue” benefits being one of the owners of sugar mills.
The inquiry report also said that Khusro Bakhtiar’s close relative Makhdum Omar Bakhtiar had gained undue benefits in terms of getting undue benefit in the export of sugar and increasing its price not during the last year, but also in previous years. Imran Khan has started following the actions on the inquiry reports and changed the portfolio of party leader Khusro Bakhtiar from Minister for Food Security to Minister for Economic Affairs.
