Sugar, wheat, flour crisis: Inquiry report be made public, says PM Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday directed that the investigation report on artificial shortage of wheat flour and sugar be made public as soon as possible.

Chairing a meeting here to review the current wheat situation in the country, Imran directed a strict accountability of all those trying to enforce an artificial shortage of wheat and sugar in the country. He also tasked his close confidants with revealing the names of all those found involved in creating the crisis and vowed to punish them.

Imran said there would be no respite for the guilty, as the government bore great humiliation and criticism because of the action of a few. He said the government’s policy was based on transparency and no one would be allowed to sabotage it.

The meeting was held to devise a course of action regarding the wheat situation in the country, national demand, available stock and future requirements. The meeting was briefed on overall wheat situation, wheat production in previous years, national consumption, import and export of this commodity in the past and prevalent situation.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday said the government would fully support every effort to highlight the true image of the country. “Our foremost priority is to highlight Pakistanism, and protecting and promoting the culture and values of our society,” he said while chairing a meeting here on revival of the local film industry.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Special Assistant to the PM Syed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari, Secretary Information Akbar Hussain Durrani, Faraz Chaudhry, Peer Saad Ahsan-ud-Din and Zaurez Lashari attended the meeting.

The participants presented various suggestions to the prime minister about promotion of film industry and cinema in Pakistan. Meanwhile, chairing a high-level meeting here to review measures for eradication of locust, Imran Khan called for closer coordination among the federal government, provincial governments and the departments concerned to effectively deal with the locust issue.

He said the government had full comprehension of the seriousness of the pest challenge and resolved that the federal government would ensure provision of all the resources required to eradicate locust. He emphasised constant contact and closer coordination among the federal government, provinces and the departments concerned on this issue.

Earlier, secretary National Food Security briefed the meeting about the measures taken for eradication of locust and said that under the National Action Plan, for surveillance, control, monitoring and awareness campaign, various committees had been already constituted besides the apex committee constitution while a control room established at NDMA.

Moreover, the meeting was informed that the committees concerned had been also constituted at district level to handle the situation.

Among others, the meeting was attended by Minister for National Food Security Khusro Bakhtiar, Advisor on Finance Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan. The four chief ministers were also part of the meeting via video link, who apprised the meeting of the related situation and measures taken and being taken on this count.

The Secretary National Food Security also informed the meeting about the cooperation with reference to the Food and Agriculture Organisation and friendly country China in this connection.

Meanwhile, Minister for Religious Affairs Noor-ul-Haq Qadri, Minister for National Food Security Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar and legendary folk singer Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi, separately, called on Prime Minister Imran Khan here.