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| Flour crisis Bigwigs swindle Rs 6 billion |
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Monday, September 24, 2007
Growers’ lobbies strongly oppose probe; Pak wheat also seen in Uzbekistan
By Khalid Mustafa
ISLAMABAD: Towering political figures, both on the treasury and the opposition benches, have been found involved in the ongoing wheat and flour crisis, having managed to swindle around over Rs 6 billion by hoarding and then smuggling the commodity to the neighboring countries, top official sources in the finance ministry told The News.
“This year the country had received a bumper wheat crop of 23.5 million tonnes. But the citizens of Pakistan are still going through an ordeal during the holy month of Ramazan. They have to run from pillar to post to get this essential staple food item. This commodity has just disappeared and if at all it is available, it is at an exorbitantly high price,” the sources told The News.
“This time influential growers and floor millers, who are also big political figures, hoarded about 1-2 million tonnes of wheat. This should be very alarming for the incumbent regime that will face the music on this account in the forthcoming elections,” the sources said.
“Although, there is some relief in the prices in the wake of some belated measures taken by the government but it is feared that the measures might be short-lived, as the smuggling of wheat and flour still continues unabated,” the sources added.
Commenting on the decision to import 1 million tonnes of wheat and fast releases of wheat from the government stocks to flour mills that have helped to provide some relief to end-consumers in prices, the sources warned the question remains as to whether the government would import one million tonnes of wheat or even less, as a strong lobby in the cabinet might dictate the decision.
The sources said that the opposition parties had more or less also joined the government’s ‘unscrupulous figures’ in this loot as they had not come out with any protest worth the name against the crisis. Rather, political parties have left the masses in the lurch to bear the bite of inflation.
The sources said that on this occasion, rice millers also came out and went for massive wheat buying after earning lot of money because of the huge profits from the sale of rice at very high rates. They hoarded wheat and with the connivance of ministers, both in the federal and provincial governments, they managed to smuggle the commodity, as the said ministers are also landlords, big growers and also possess flour and rice mills.
It is pertinent to mention here that the government has decided not to constitute a commission to launch a probe into the wheat scam, as major chunk of ministers and politicians with agriculture background are not in favour of such a move and these are the very elements that barred the government from imposing 30 to 35 percent regulatory duty on the export of flour to Afghanistan.
Despite the clear-cut direction of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, the smuggling of flour and wheat goes on unchecked. The growers who possess flourmills in Sukkur, Hyderabad and Mirpur Khas in Sindh have successfully managed to smuggle wheat and flour to India.
Iran’s market is also flooded with Pakistan’s wheat as Tehran is busy in massive buying of wheat as it wants to build its food stock in the wake of the US threat of attack, a development also confirmed by a senior official.
This is first time in the last 15 years that Pakistan’s wheat has also been seen in the market of Uzbekistan.
Sources said that the official export of flour to Afghanistan amounts to $38 million, but massive smuggling is still going on with the help of Rangers and Customs officials are making money out of it. Trucks carrying wheat and flour can been seen right now at Torkham post.
The NWFP and Balochistan governments have also helped smuggle out 5 million tonnes of wheat that could cater to the needs of Taliban fighting against the Karzai government, said the sources.
The commission (illegal gratification) charged by Rangers and Customs officials who facilitate the illegal outbound movement of the commodity has increased manifold per truck. Before the new directives of Prime Minister on launching crackdowns on hoarders and increasing vigilance on borders, Rangers were receiving around Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 per truck as commission but now they have increased their commission to Rs 40,000 per truck, as the profit margin in selling wheat and flour in international market is 100 percent high. One truck carries 35 tonnes of wheat or flour.
APP adds: Agriculture Development Commissioner (ADC) in the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL) Dr Qadir Bux Baloch on Saturday said that there was no wheat crisis in the country adding that one million tonnes of wheat would be imported to fulfill the local needs.
He conceded that wheat had been smuggled out of the country because of high price across the border. He said Iran was the main destination as it was amassing stocks in view of the US threat of attack.
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Destroy militant hideouts in Pakistan: Karzai
KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday urged his Western allies to destroy Islamist militant sanctuaries in neighbouring Pakistan after thousands of secret US files were leaked.
“The time has come more |
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199 die in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa rains, floods
By Nisar Mahmood
PESHAWAR: The death toll from torrential rain and floods in various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the last two days reached 199 as dozens more casualties were reported on Thursday.
The heavy showers more |
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Severe rains threaten three provinces, warnings issued
By Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Flood Commission and the Met office have warned the authorities that the next 24 hours are critical and if the ongoing spell of rains continues, innumerable villages in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa more |
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Possible factors that brought Airblue plane down
By Shakil Shaikh
ISLAMABAD: A probe into the horrifying crash of Airblue’s Airbus into the Margalla hills, which killed all 152 persons on board, has been started to find out all possible factors that contributed to the disastr more |
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Plane crash probe will be transparent: Malik
ISLAMABAD: Federal minister for Interior Rehman Malik on Thursday confirmed that 66 bodies had been handed over to their heirs after their identification through DNA.
Talking to media here he said the Bl more |
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Parliamentary body has primacy over judicial commission: CJ
Wonders if Murree, Changa Manga would also be staged in judges appointment; advises against humiliating judiciary; says PM made powerless in judges appointment
By Sohail Khan
ISLAMABAD: Chief Just more |
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HEC not satisfied with Sindh University verification process
By Usman Manzoor
ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission has formally conveyed to the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Education that it was not satisfied with the verification process adopted by the University of S more |
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Wants dictators punished
DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has reinstated a ban on Islamic political parties in the latest blow to religious hardliners in the impoverished South Asian country, a minister said Thursday.
In a deta more |
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ECP, HEC in row over focal person
By Saadia Khalid
ISLAMABAD: The appointment of a focal person in the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has raised yet another controversy as the HEC officials say they have not received any notification as yet while the ECP cla more |
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ECP finds itself in a limbo, no matter what the HEC does
By Tariq Butt
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is unable to proceed against the fake degree holders unless it is duly constituted with the induction of four retired high court judges as its members.
Ch more |
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Indian PM says hopeful of restoring Pakistan talks
NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Thursday he was hopeful of restoring talks “sooner or later” to improve ties with Pakistan after their last meeting ended in acrimony over the 2008 Mumbai more |
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Crackdown forced Afghan militants to leave Pakistan: FM
By Tahir Hasan Khan
KARACHI: Rejecting the Afghan President Hamid Karzaiís comments, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that most of the Afghan war stalwarts had left Pakistan for other places due to crackdown more |
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Zardari fares poorly, Kayani more popular: poll
WASHINGTON: Only one in five Pakistanis view their president, Asif Ali Zardari, favourably while the country’s army chief gets a more positive rating, according to a new opinion poll released Thursday.
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Miliband, others blast Cameron for anti-Pakistan remarks
By Murtaza Ali Shah
LONDON: Former British Foreign Secretary Labour leadership hopeful David Miliband became the highest profile British politician to condemn Prime Minister David Cameron, accusing him of being a “loudmouth” over more |
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Pakistan terms British PM’s remarks shocking
By Mariana Baabar
ISLAMABAD: In a ‘muted’ reaction Pakistan Thursday said the remarks made by British Prime Minister David Cameron were ‘surprising’ and ‘saddening’.
Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the more |
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Zardari, Gilani discuss air crash, other issues
By Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari directed the government to make the inquiry report of tragic incident of air crash at Margalla hills public so that the people know as to what really led to the tragic inci more |
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Pakistan urged to tackle terrorists
NEW DELHI: Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister, and British Prime Minister David Cameron have called on Pakistan to tackle terrorist groups operating from its territory.
“No one is in any doubt, le more |
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PML-Q senator seeks ruling against fake degree holders
By Muhammad Anis
ISLAMABAD: A PML-Q senator on Thursday sought a ruling from the Senate chairman against those holding bogus educational documents. Senator Jamal Leghari, raising a point of order, said a ruling should come from more |
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briefs...
Attique sworn in as AJK PM
By Syed Abid Hussain Shah
MIRPUR (AJK): All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference chief Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan was Thursday sworn in as the Prime Minister of Azad Jamm more |
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ISSN 1563-9479 
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