PTI seeks judicial commission to probe mega wheat scandal

• Sheikh Waqas sees blame-game over wheat scandal a scheme to save skins of real culprits
• PTI to join farmers protest on May 12: Malik Bhachar
• Sahibzada Mehboob vows PTI won’t allow govt to push 6 crore farmers against the wall

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) demanded formation of a judicial commission to probe into the mega wheat scandal under which billions of rupees were siphoned off at the expense of poor farmers so as to bring the real culprits to book, as the federal government-constituted inquiry committee seemed an attempt to save the skins the big crocodiles involved in the scam.

Speaking at a press conference PTI senior leader Sheikh Waqas Akram said that PDM regime and PML-N government were inflicting Rs 300 billion loss to the national kitty through unnecessary wheat import.

Sheikh Waqas said that the PMD government moved the summary for wheat import and the farmers were now being forced to bear the burden of unnecessary import of wheat by the caretaker government as well as mismanagement of the incumbent mandate-stealing government.

He said that the caretakers could not be exonerated as it was the PDM’s extension.

PTI Opposition leader in Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar, Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan former Federal Minister of National Food Security and Research, Sahibzada Ameer Sultan, Khwaja Sheraz Mehmood and Mian Ghous Muhammad were also present on the occasion.

He said that the incompetent and anti-farmer PML-N government was causing the economic massacre of farmers due to its failure to adopt a proper strategy regarding wheat procurement, adding that the wheat crisis would impact the farmers and the public in the long run and only middlemen would get benefit of the government’s mismanagement.

Waqas demanded that the government should take immediate steps to facilitate the farmers and pay them the due price of their crop instead of resorting to a blame game to pass the buck onto one another to save the skins of real culprits.

He sought transparent judicial inquiry into the excessive wheat import so as to bring the perpetrators before the nation. He warned that the government should be worried of the day when the farmers came out onto the roads, as it would be a herculean task for the government to handle the crisis because they had nothing to lose and they would not compromise like politicians.

On the occasion, Malik Bhachar said that the farmers would start their massive protest demonstration on May 12 and PTI would join them, as the party would not leave them alone in their just struggle.

He said that there were 77 million metric tonns of wheat was salable in Punjab, while the government announced mere to buy 2 million metric tons, adding that the Punjab government was forcing farmers to sell their crop at throwaway prices.

Bhachar demanded a thorough and transparent probe into wheat scandal removal of a secretary was no answer to the mega scandal because it was a criminal offense, which did not occur overnight but was pre-planned move for which Mohsin Naqvi and Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar were responsible.

Sahibzada Mehboob said that the government was hell-bent on killing the farmers for their crime to put extra efforts to ensure good production of wheat.

He lauded the Taliban-run government of Afghanistan for prioritizing agriculture sector after restoring normalcy in the country, which, he said, started construction of 285-kilometre-long Qosh Tepa Canal in early 2022 to enhance agriculture sector, which would be completed by 2025.

Sahibzada Mehboob stated that only those nations survived which ensured food security.

PTI leader stated that there were four main products i.e. wheat, sugarcane, rice and maize, adding that the government determined the price of wheat crop because of its importance and left the three to the markets to determine their prices.

Mehboob recalled that PTI government under leadership of Imran Khan always prioritized the weak segment of the society especially the farmers, adding that PTI would not leave the farmers in the lurch and would stand by them to get them their due rights from the mandate thieves.

He said that PTI would not allow the government to push 6 crore farmers against the wall, demanding open investigation to make the criminals involved in the scandal an example.

Sahibzada Ameer Sultan, Khwaja Sheraz Mehmood, Mian Ghous Muhammad also spoke on the occasion said that it was a matter of 24 hours to dig out as from where summary was generated and to fix the responsibility to punish the wrongdoers.

They were of the views that the government devoid of public mandate not only was committing the economic murder of farmers by refusing to buy their products at the government fixed price but it also made difficult for them to take loans from banks.

The PTI leaders stated that the farmers were being crushed to benefit the 2 percent sugar mafia landlord, who were currently occupying powers.