PHC reserves verdict in missing wheat case

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has reserved its verdict on a bail petition filed by an accused in the high-profile case involving the disappearance of wheat from the Azakhel storage facility.

The hearing was presided over by Justice Syed Arshad Ali, who grilled the Anti-Corruption Department's representative over the progress of the investigation. "What progress have you made so far? the judge asked. "Have you even read your own audit report? Where is the auditor? What is this performance? The audit correspondence looks fine on paper, but there's a shortage of wheat on the ground. This is the state of your department, you're relying entirely on others."

The hearing saw the appearance of the petitioner's lawyer Advocate Farooq Malik, Additional Director Food Imran Jadoon, and Additional Advocate General Inam Yousafzai, among others.

Arguing for bail, the defense counsel maintained that the petitioner was not solely responsible, asserting that others were also involved. He stressed that there were no criminal charges or concrete evidence against his client, whose role was limited to maintaining records. "As long as he was in charge, no discrepancy occurred, and relevant documentation supports this. He is even willing to have the wheat weighed at his own expense," the lawyer argued.

In response, Additional Advocate General Inam Yousafzai informed the court that similar bail petitions filed by other accused had already been rejected by the Chief Justice. He stated that over 3,300 sacks of wheat were missing from the storage facility, causing a loss of more than Rs190 million to the national treasury.

Justice Arshad Ali sharply criticized the performance of the Anti-Corruption Department during the hearing. When the department's representative claimed that an audit had been conducted, the judge responded, "Then check your report. Where is the auditor? What are you people doing? The wheat is missing on the ground, and your department still depends on others to get the job done."

Additional Director Food Imran Jadoon told the court that while the paperwork appeared to be in order, the physical stock was short. "We've written to the Chief Secretary, requesting a high-level inquiry," he added.

The Additional Advocate General reiterated that the case involved significant financial loss to the national exchequer. He also noted that two other suspects in the case had already had their bail pleas rejected, and later withdrew their petitions filed before the Supreme Court. The case is currently under trial in the lower court.