LAHORE: A powerful wheat flour cartel has successfully influenced the Punjab government to get Secretary Food Naseem Sadiq removed from his post after accusing him of working against their interests.
The ruling group of Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA), with the help of a former director food, approached offices of the Punjab chief secretary and additional chief secretary for removing the secretary food, claimed sources.
It is reliably learnt that the parties concerned reached an understanding in the last week of May that Naseem Sadiq should be removed from his post after Eid holidays. Flour millers were given assurance that Naseem Sadiq would be no more secretary food after Eid, a source told this scribe. And it eventually happened on Tuesday, about 10 days after the Eid holidays, as transfer orders of secretary food were issued with the approval of Punjab chief secretary, and he was replaced by secretary housing. Naseem Sadiq's stint as secretary food lasted just for about two months.
Sources claimed that the Punjab Food Department had initiated an inquiry into alleged role of former director food and members of PFMA in fake exports to Afghanistan. The record of wheat issuance to flour mills was also being scrutinised to check grinding of released grains.
It has been alleged that many flour mills owners had merely been acting as a grain traders and minting huge money at the expense of national exchequer. The subsidised wheat was never processed by many flour mills, rather was sold at higher rate in the open market. With the connivance of Food Department staff, the practice has become a norm for many to make money.
A spokesman for Punjab chief secretary denied any impression of being influenced for transfer of secretary food. He said transfer and postings were done on merit. Appointments are made to improve administration of the government officers, he added. The office of chief secretary and other allied departments work free from any fear or favour, he added.
Asim Raza, head of the ruling group of PFMA conceded that it was a demand of his association to transfer secretary food. Basically, he was not a suitable choice for the post, he said and added that liaison between the offices of director food and secretary food was also not good. He claimed that Naseem Sadiq was acting at the behest of officials of former government. He also denied any role of former director food in removing secretary food from his post. He said the PFMA members were not involved in fake wheat exports.
Nevertheless, sources said there was no apparent reason for transfer of secretary food after the end of a successful wheat procurement drive. Sources said that Sadiq had succeeded in purchasing about 3.4 million tons of wheat at a time when the market was disturbed due to damage to standing crops from unprecedented rains. The aggressive buying by the Food Department helped stabilise the market and ensured better return to farmers, they added.
Sources said the cartel of flour mills was against proactive role of the Food Department in wheat procurement as they deemed it against their interests. At the one hand, they wanted a depressing wheat market in terms of lower prices and on the other hand, they thought that low wheat stock with the Food Department would result in price hike of flour in the days to come. The lesser volume of wheat with the Food Department means no leverage on controlling price of wheat flour throughout year, sources added.
