Kakar brushes off wheat scandal as 'media circus'

Refuses to accept scandal as pressing issue, terms it a 'product of political mudslinging, sensationalism'

QUETTA:

In a bid to ‘set the record straight’, former caretaker premier Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Tuesday brushed off the wheat scandal as nothing more than a “media-driven spectacle”.

Accompanied by Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Kakar denounced what he deemed a baseless witch hunt targeting his administration.

In an exclusive chat with this scribe, Kakar also made it clear that he refuses to accept the wheat scandal as a pressing issue, adding that it was only a product of media sensationalism and political mudslinging.

"There has been no healthy discussion in this regard," the former caretaker premier said.

Also read: PTI calls for judicial commission to investigate wheat scandal

He also called into question the validity of the accusations as there was “no concrete evidence” supporting the claims. "On one hand, allegations were levelled against us, and on the other hand, a legal thing was deliberately made illegal.”

Furthermore, Kakar pointed to the lack of genuine scrutiny regarding the profit margins and price ranges associated with the alleged misconduct, stressing there was a need to approach the issue with rationality and discernment.

"Was it possible to earn Rs85 billion just within six months?" he said, urging the public to critically assess the validity of such claims.

"Unnecessarily, I am being criticized," he lamented, decrying what he perceived as “a concerted effort to tarnish his reputation” and undermine his legacy.

He also dismissed reports suggesting his dismissal of the significance of Form-47, categorically denouncing such claims as "rubbish."