‘Wheat, sugar mafia more dangerous than coronavirus’

Islamabad : Influential wheat and sugar mafia is more dangerous for the masses than the coronavirus and other calamities, a business leader said.

The whole world is battling coronavirus but people in Pakistan are also facing an onslaught of merciless mafia coupled with uncoordinated and futile efforts on the part of policymakers, said Shahid Rasheed Butt, founding member of Islamabad Chamber For Small Traders (ICST) and former President of ICCI.

He said that so far coronavirus has resulted in 137 deaths in Pakistan while the cruel mafia has made life difficult for hundreds of millions of people.

Shahid Rasheed Butt said that Pakistan has become a heaven for hoarders and profiteers where plunder, unethical practices and organised crime has been allowed in the name of the business.

He said that prices of flour and sugar remained high despite recent probe which indicates the influence of mafia in the corridors of power.

The role of NAB has left much to be desired as it seems only interested in flowery statements and harassing politicians, he added.

The business leader said that sugar mafia has minted billions but it has also stopped payments to the growers, the prices of pulses are increasing despite tax relief and reduced transportation charges, and the poultry prices in being increased artificially.

Almost every sector is plundering masses with is impossible without connivance with those who matter, he observed.

Shahid Butt said that highly tilted contracts were signed with independent power producers for five years but they are intact after 25 years which is amazing.

Clauses like payment in US dollars and idle capacity charges were included in the contracts which pushed country under the mountain of debt.

These contracts added billions to the coffers of some influential and their political masters while pushed power sector and country to the brink of bankruptcy.