'Govt wastes wheat in warehouses as millions go hungry'

KARACHI:

Lawmakers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) have expressed deep concern over the shocking revelation that wheat worth billions of rupees has rotted in warehouses across Karachi. In a statement issued from the party's Bahadurabad headquarters, they described the Sindh Food Department as a "minefield of corruption," accusing it of being complicit in allowing thousands of tons of wheat to decay instead of delivering it to markets.

According to the MQM-P legislators, the scandal is yet another example of a long-standing nexus between corrupt officials and hoarders, which has rendered essential food items unaffordable for the common man.

"Sindh's departments are steeped in their own tales of corruption, yet the government continues to paint a false picture of normalcy," the lawmakers said. "In the past, the Food Department has even claimed in court that rats consumed thousands of tons of wheat or that the stock simply deteriorated."

They alleged that the department breaks its own corruption records every year, while the public continues to suffer under skyrocketing prices. "The political slogan of 'Roti, Kapra aur Makaan' has been completely exposed," they added. "Is it not equivalent to snatching food from the mouths of the poor when grain remains locked in warehouses for years instead of reaching markets?"