PPP demands action against PM Imran for approving sugar export, freight subsidy.

KARACHI -- The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on Thursday demanded Prime Minister Imran Khan and the federal cabinet be held accountable for approving the export of sugar and freight subsidy of Rs2 billion.

Advisor to the Chief Minister on Law Syed Murtaza Wahab and Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah held a press conference on Thursday to answer corruption allegations by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability Shahzad Akbar on Wednesday.

'There are various problems with the TORs of the commission,' he said. 'The name of the chief minister who was to be summoned, his name has not been included. The prime minister who approved sugar subsidies, his name has also not been mentioned,' said Shah.

Referring to PTI leaders Khusro Bakhtiar and Jahangir Tareen being the 'talk of the town' these days, the information minister said that their sugar mills received the lion's share of the subsidies.

'More than 84% of the sugar subsidy was given [by Sindh government] to sugar mills of Jahangir Tareen and Khusro Bakhtiar and other people,' he underlined. 'This subsidy was given because sugar mills had sugar in ample quantities hence they did not want to start the crushing season,' said Shah, adding that subsidies were given to the sugar mills to encourage them to export their excess sugar and buy the commodity from local farmers.

'This subsidy is given and other benefits when the demand for sugar is low in the international market,' he noted. Shah lashed out at the government, wondering why the price of sugar had soared to Rs80 per kilogramme during the PTI government's tenure.

Murtaza Wahab thanked the federal government for issuing the sugar inquiry commission report after which it was possible to ascertain that the prime minister himself gave the approval for the commodity to be exported.

'The subsidy was given to 26 sugar mills in Sindh,' he said. 'The subsidy was granted in an impartial manner and the purpose behind it was to protect the interests of our sugar growers,' he said, adding that in 2018, 2019 and 2020, the Sindh government did not give any subsidy to the sugarcane sector.

He said that the prices of sugar had not only stabilised but also dropped when Sindh government provided the subsidy to mills. 'The benefit was availed by the sugar growers and the consumer who bought sugar [due to the low prices],' he said.

Wahab said that the commission formed by the prime minister to probe the sugar price hike did not...