Cabinet gives nod to action against sugar barons

Ministers welcome IHC ruling regarding sugar inquiry report

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Tuesday decided to go after the sugar barons by giving a go-ahead to the authorities concerned to implement the recommendations of the inquiry commission within the stipulated time.

While welcoming the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) decision, allowing the government to act against the ‘sugar mafia’, the federal cabinet reiterated the government’s commitment to bring to book those who earned undue profit by artificially jacking up the price of the sweetener.

“The cabinet decided that recommendations of the inquiry commission on actions should be carried out within the stipulated timelines given to relevant institutions,” Information Minister Shibli Faraz said in a post-cabinet news conference.

Briefing the media regarding cabinet meeting, the minister said that Prime Minister Imran Khan told the cabinet that the step would improve and bring transparency in the whole value chain of sugar production from sugarcane purchase to the marketing of the sugar.

Faraz said that the government has revamped the entire network of the institutions responsible for monitoring and regulation of the sugar industry, adding that the process of determining sugar prices would be visible in the next three months.



“This would result in providing the commodity to people at a reasonable rate and help make recoveries from those who exploited the system for minting money at the cost of the consumers,” the information minister told reporters.

Moving on to other subjects, Faraz said that the cabinet also expressed concern on the rising price of flour and endorsed the instruction of the prime minister for rectification of the situation by taking corrective steps, including the release of 900,000 tons of wheat by the Punjab government and steps to control of its smuggling.

Subsequently, Senator Faraz said, a committee under the supervision of Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance Dr Hafeez Shaikh was constituted to monitor the situation, streamline the process and make it more transparent.

Faraz said that Prime Minister Imran directed for determining the demand and supply of flour on scientific basis with collection of complete data, adding that 27 million tons of flour was the requirement whereas 25 million tons wheat was available. Subsequently, the cabinet allowed wheat import to keep its prices stable.

Meanwhile, Faraz said, the cabinet appreciated the performance of ministry of education for introducing uniform curriculum in the country for all educational institutions, including religious seminaries. The cabinet also discussed the prospects of online education by utilising modern technologies in the post-coronavirus outbreak situation, he said.

On June 18, the prime minister was informed that “a unified curriculum has been formulated for the I-V grades which will be implemented in April 2021”. The prime minister had said that eliminating education apartheid in the country’s education system was the top priority of the present government.

In the cabinet meeting, Faraz said, the prime minister emphasised on making the internet facility available in far-flung areas, especially in Balochistan, where it was a major issue. Faraz said that the prime minister has directed that information technology fund should be utilised for the benefit of the people of Balochistan, as they deserved the facilities on a par with the rest of Pakistan.

In the press conference, Faraz said that Prime Minister Imran was determined to improve the health system in the country and the cabinet gave its approval to the establishment of a new teaching hospital which would be built on modern lines. The cabinet was also apprised of the Covid-19 situation.

Faraz said the premier’s vision was clear from the beginning: to run the economy, save vulnerable segments of the society from hunger and protect lives of the people. He said that the opposition found fault with the handling of coronavirus pandemic and called for strict lockdown as they had billions of rupees in their accounts abroad but “Imran Khan had no foreign accounts and properties and was leading the nation from the front.”

In addition, he said that “Imran sacrificed luxurious lifestyle for serving the nation.” Faraz said that the cabinet also discussed measures regarding the situation during Eidul Azha. The minister said that the cabinet gave approval for the construction of a teaching hospital in Islamabad and deliberated on optimum use of the properties of the Evacuee Trust Property Board.