Crisis mongers can’t topple PTI govt: PM Imran

Imran says those responsible for ‘artificial sugar, wheat crises’ won’t be spared

ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday vowed that the influential sugar and flour barons and others manipulating the prices of essential edibles and creating one artificial crisis after another would not go unpunished.

The premier’s vow came as an FIA chief-led probe body formed to identify the people responsible for the recent flour shortage submitted its report to him according to which the crisis that started in last November and worsened around mid-January was artificially created.

“The people responsible for these crises won’t be spared no matter how influential they are,” Imran said during a meeting with members of the PTI’s social media team.

“I wake up in the morning and check my cell phone to see which new crisis I will have to deal with today,” he added. “That’s why I remain prepared to face any crisis.”



Elaborating on the challenges he faces, the prime minister said even if there was no criticism from the opposition, one of the government’s own ministers ended up saying something controversial that had to be taken care of.

“There are ministers who prefer sitting at Kohisar Market in Islamabad instead of in their offices,” he said without naming them.

The premier said he had no qualms over positive criticism on social media but it was necessary to confirm the authenticity of a news item before assailing the government.

“Fake news is deliberately spread against the government and sometimes even our own people fall for this propaganda,” he noted, adding that the media groups which were trying to overthrow the government would not succeed in their designs.

A committee headed by FIA Director General Wajid Zia has found that the recent flour crisis was artificial as there was no shortage of wheat in the country.

It informed the premier in its report that the country’s wheat reserves stood at 21 million tonnes. It declared mismanagement as the main reason for the crisis.



In some parts of the country, the flour price had reached up to Rs85 per kg. Mill owners were refusing to sell flour at Rs40 per kg and unwarranted statements by federal and provincial ministers and government officials also fuelled public outrage, according to the report.

The prime minister also conceded the government’s negligence in failing to curb the prices of flour and sugar.

Karachi uplift

Addressing a ceremony in Karachi via a video link from Islamabad, Premier Imran said cities should be empowered to collect their own revenue as provincial funds were not enough for their development.

The ceremony was organised at the Governor’s House in Karachi to inaugurate development projects in the city. The premier was scheduled to attend the event but could not fly to the metropolis due to bad weather.

The prime minister pointed out that all mega cities of the world, including London, Paris, Mumbai and Tehran, were run by their own elected government and had an effective system of revenue collection in place.



He maintained that the reason for the development that took place in Lahore during the tenure of the PML-N government was that half of Punjab’s budget was spent on the city. “Other cities of the province suffered.”

The premier said the federal government wanted to take every step possible for Karachi’s development even though the PTI was not in power in Sindh. “Karachi is the economic hub of the country and the country’s progress depends on its development.”

The premier said he wanted Sindh Governor Imran Ismail to inform people about the development projects launched by the federal government for the province in general and for Karachi in particular.

The prime minister said police had been empowered in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, so that they could operate without facing any influence or pressure. “We want a similar system in place for the Sindh police, so that they can improve their performance.”

Earlier, the Sindh governor inaugurated three bridges constructed through funds from the federal government. They include a 700-meter long bridge at the Sakhi Hassan intersection, a 675-meter long bridge at Five Star Chowrangi and a 700-metre long bridge at KDA Chowrangi.

The governor said that these projects were reflected the prime minister’s personal interest in improving the infrastructure of the country's commercial hub.

“The prime minister has announced projects worth Rs162 billion that would change the face of the city,” he added.