Sugar probe report again puts blame on key politicians.

Byline: Syed Irfan Raza

ISLAMABAD -- The government on Thursday made public the much-awaited sugar commission's inquiry report that exposed multiple wrongdoings within the sugar industry and implicated key political figures, including PTI leader Jahangir Tareen and PML-Q MNA Moonis Elahi.

Unveiled at a press conference after a nod from the federal cabinet, the report details how over the years the sugar mill owners have manipulated the market to make windfall profits amounting to billions of rupees. The report also lists the nexus between these owners and various government officials that led to unregulated practices bypassing laws and often exploiting the farmers.

The commission's report was presented to the media at a briefing by Information Minister Shibli Faraz and prime minister's special assistants Barrister Shahzad Akbar and Shahbaz Gill. The commission was headed by FIA chief Wajid Zia who earlier in the day presented the report to the federal cabinet. The ministers said the prime minister would decide the course of action on the report after detailed recommendations are presented to him after Eid.

The commission's report revealed how the 'sugar cartel' comprising 88 mills had cheated sugarcane growers and consumers at every step starting from the procurement of cane, production of sugar, sale in the local market and export, all of which led to price hike of sugar as well as billions of rupees of tax evasion.

'According to the report, sugar mill owners and their associates took benefit of Rs100 billion to Rs150bn every year,' Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Accountability Shahzad Akbar told Dawn.

'If Re1 is increased in the price of sugar, it gives Rs5.2 billion to the sugar mill owners and, according to the report, Rs15 per kg production cost was increased by the mill owners and Rs15 per kg additional amount is being charged from consumers by market forces, which means that consumer is paying additional Rs30 per kg,' he said, adding that billions of rupees of benefit was availed by the mill owners in terms of subsidy, undeclared production and sale of sugar and tax evasion.

However, Mr Akbar skipped a question whether Prime Minister Khan will tender an apology to the nation for using money and aircraft of Jahangir Tareen during the election campaign in 2018.

The SAPM said the report exposed that sugar mill owners always quoted a higher cost of production which remained almost Rs15 per kg higher than the original...