The protesters burned old tyres and blocked Sargodha Road, accusing officials of the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation Limited (PASSCO) of distributing gunny bags to middle men instead of farmers. The protesters – belonging to Manget Nicha, Iqbalnagar, Vanike Tarar and Hanjerwal villages – said middlemen were buying wheat from farmers at a depressed price and selling it to the PASSCO at the official rate.

Talking to The Express Tribune, PASSCO project manager Imtiaz Ahmed Virk said there wasn’t much the corporation could do to check if a person selling wheat at its procurement centres was a farmer or not. “It appears the middlemen are getting gunny bags using farmers’ identity documents. There is no way to stop them from selling wheat in these bags,” he said.

Nasar, Bilal, Javed Hanjra, commission agents at a wheat market in Gardi area, refused to comment on the issue.

Hafizabad district coordination officer Captain (retd) Asif said he hoped the practice would soon end as the difference between wheat price in the open market and the government rate had declined significantly since the start of the procurement drive on Friday.

Procurement centre sealed

A procurement centre in Jalalpur Bhattian was sealed on Saturday directives of a civil judge. The order was issued on a complaint by small farmers that they were ignored in distribution of gunny bags. The complainants said big landowners and middlemen were using their contacts in the administration to get gunny bags. Some farmers who had staged a sit-in in front of the centre were allegedly manhandled by a police team. DPO Karamatullah Malik, however, rejected that police had used excessive force. He said they had only wanted the protesters not to disturb public order in the area.

Investigation dropped after man convinces police of land ownership

In Sargodha, Darya Khan police on Sunday dropped investigation against a man accused of buying wheat from the open market and selling it at the official rate after he submitted a copy of a rental contract he had signed with his tenant as evidence that he owned land in the area.

SHO Rana Saeed said the deputy superintendent of police, the assistant commissioner and relevant Food Department employees had investigated the matter and found Abdul Karim innocent.

Karim had been accused by several farmers of selling wheat he had bought in the market at Barkatwala Procurement Centre on Sunday. Police also released four trucks and a tractor-trolley loaded with wheat bags Karim had brought to the centre on Saturday. These were seized after a complaint was filed against him by farmers including Muhammad Zulfiqar and Ashraf Chaudhry.

Talking to The Tribune on Sunday, the complainants said they did not want to pursue the case against Karim anylonger.

They said they had been assured by the administration that 100 bags would be bought from each of them.

Karim rejected the allegation and said that the wheat brought to the centre was produced on land he had leased. He said he had recently joined the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and added that the Saturday’s incident was orchestrated by his political rivals.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2012.

Ijaz Butt has been the talk of the cricketing world of late and has managed to attract so much contempt through his leadership that one does not find an example in the entire history of the sport.

To become a leader, one must be intelligent and have common sense, in order to solve the complexities of the tasks on hand. A leader should be energetic and committed, maintain contact with the people under him and understand their strengths and weaknesses. Also, while many other qualities exist, a leader should get the cue as to the likely line of a wise action.

There is no doubt in my mind that the chairman has the required credentials, having held the posts of secretary of the cricket board, chairman selectors manager of the Pakistan team and the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) president.

However, his tenure in the office has raised a number of questions about his ability to perform as the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). When he took over, he was member of the governing board and was very vocal about certain actions of the previous chairman. However, he does not have the vision to improve the functioning of the PCB.

Ijaz is a good critic with no vision or ability to set the wrong right. It is the burden of responsibility that can easily unnerve anybody who is not capable of holding it with grace and dignity. He probably did not realise the intensity of the organisation he was taking charge of. In the PCB, you have to be on your mark at all times to face the cricket-loving people of this country.

Besides, in the absence of any diplomatic skills, he not only spoiled relations with other cricketing nations, but also asked for trouble from the sport’s governing body. While Pakistan cricket sank, so did its image.

Pakistan has always played a vital role as a member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and has enjoyed the respect of its member countries. During the last two years, however, the current PCB management has fared poorly when it comes to maintaining its relations with its counterparts but also the ICC.

Major reasons include poor management, inability to handle burning issues like the spot-fixing allegations and non compliance with the ICC’s Code of Conduct as well as disrespect to other member countries’ opinion and stance.

There is a dire need to redeem our image and we must regain our lost status. Issuance of the charge-sheet by the ICC is not only insulting but it also undermines our ability to handle affairs.

Neither the current PCB management nor the senior staff has the capacity to react with the required diligence and acumen to satisfy the ICC and other member countries.

We need someone who has the experience of handling the PCB affairs gracefully, professionally and someone who has earned respect for Pakistan cricket and the PCB. Additionally, the ones assigned the task must have good support and enjoy the confidence and respect of the ICC.

The decision has to be a popular and judgemental one because Pakistan can no longer afford another experiment with a new face.

The writer is a former Pakistan captain and chief selector

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2010.