Govt accused of irregularities in wheat purchase

Matter not referred to standing committee after vote in PA

PESHAWAR:

Peshawar The opposition in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has accused the government of irregularities in wheat procurement and demanded an inquiry, and the treasury has refused to refer the matter to the relevant standing committee.

During the assembly session, JUI-F member Adnan Khan raised a question about the wheat procurement process and legal compliance.

K-P Minister for Food Zahir Shah Toru explained that the province produces 1.4 million metric tons of wheat, while the population of 40 million requires five million metric tonnes.

"To meet the shortfall, 3.6 million metric tons were purchased from Punjab through various sources," he said. The minister noted that reports of substandard wheat in the media were related to purchases made during the PDM government.

"The wheat had been tested by PCSIR labs, which deemed it unhealthy. It was then retested at another lab, which reported it as safe."

A special committee, including experts, was formed by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Cabinet to investigate the issue. "The wheat has now been sent for a third round of testing, with results expected soon," the minister informed the house.

Adnan Khan found the minister's explanation unsatisfactory and questioned why local farmers were not prioritised for wheat procurement. He demanded the matter be referred to a standing committee.

The food minister clarified that wheat procurement was conducted under cabinet-approved SOPs with a committee comprising representatives from the Deputy Commissioner's Office, food and agriculture departments, NAB, and Anti-Corruption.

He highlighted that the province's largest warehouse is in Azakhel, with others in DI Khan, Peshawar, and Mardan. "There are 22 government warehouses in the province." The minister stated that they purchased 208,000 metric tons of wheat—less than the required 300,000 metric tons—to adhere to SOPs.