Cabinet decides to make inquiry report on sugar public exposing big fraud by mill owners.

ISLAMABAD -- The Federal Cabinet on Thursday decided to make the inquiry report of the Sugar Inquiry Commission public, which revealed that the major sugar mills groups had under-reported sales and committed fraud using different tactics.

Briefing newsmen after the special cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan here, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz flanked by Special Assistant to the PM on Accountability Shahzad Akbar and SAPM Shahbaz Gill, said the present government was firmly committed to accountability and transparency in governance.

He said in the past, only lip service was paid regarding sugar and flour crises and no practical steps were taken to address the problem and find out the culprits. It was Prime Minister Imran Khan who ordered the inquiry as the common man was the main victim of the loot and plunder on account of the sugar and flour shortages.

The prime minister had also issued directives to the Cabinet Secretary to gather the details of the assets of unelected advisers and special assistants and made them public.

SAPM Shahzad Akbar said today was a very important day in the history of Pakistan as no government had ever made the reports of such inquiry commissions public in the past.

He said the Sugar Inquiry Commission was established to ascertain the reasons of increase in the sugar prices in the last couple of years, and its detailed report was presented in the special cabinet meeting held today.

The commission's report, he said, proved what PM Imran Khan had always maintained that "whenever a businessman comes into politics, he will always do business even at the expense of the poor." The would be available online following the prime minister's orders, he added.

Shahzad Akbar said the report explicitly stated that the sugar mill owners not only purchased the produce from the sugarcane growers at the price less than the support price announced by the government but also cut the weight of sugarcane by 15 to 30 percent.

He said the commission also found irregularities in the form of giving advance payments to farmers in the form of cash or commodity, which was akin to unregulated banking and they earned upto 35 per cent profit on the loaned amount.

Shahzad Akbar said a subsidy of Rs 29 billion was given to the sugar industry in the last five years.

He said it was found that the net total income tax paid by around 88 sugar mills of the country was mere Rs 10 billion after getting refunds...

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