Senate criticises government for wheat, flour shortages

The Upper House of the Parliament on Monday passed a resolution condemning the wheat and flour crises in the country. The house also urged the federal government to make public, a related Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)'s inquiry report on the matter to "identify the main culprits".

"This house condemns the recent wheat and flour crisis in the country, this unprecedented rise in the prices of both commodities and the resultant record inflationary trend in the country has broken the back of the masses, which clearly shows the non-serious attitude, incompetence and negligence of the incumbent government and its inability to provide relief to the people," said the resolution moved by senators from various opposition parties during the Senate session.

The resolution expressed concern about the "miseries of common masses that have multiplied by the artificial shortage of these commodities. Despite facing desert locust attack, floods and record inflation, this House is unable to understand the logic behind allowing exports of these commodities in these testing times."

The resolution urged that, "Every possible measure shall be taken by the government to provide safeguard to the people and ensure that effective measures shall be taken to ensure the social welfare of the people."

It demanded that, "The government should immediately place the inquiry report of the FIA about current wheat crisis before the Senate so that vulnerable people Pakistan will be able to identify the main culprits relating to this crisis."

The resolution was jointly moved by Agha Shahzaib Durrani, Sherry Rehman, Sirajul Haq, Muhammad Javed Abbasi, Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Mir Kabeer Shahi, Mushahidullah Khan, Talha Mehmood, Faiz Muhammad, Sitara Ayaz, Shammim Afridi, Mir Hasil Bizenjo, Shaheen Khalid Butt, Ghous Muhammad Khan Niazi, Usman Kakar, and Tahir Bizenjo.

Speaking on the floor of the house, the opposition senators demanded that the treasury benches share the findings of the FIA inquiry. In response, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Swati said that the report was not ready but offered to share the extracts from the report.

This infuriated the opposition senators who said that the federal government was not honouring the ruling issued by the Senate chairman to lay before Senate the FIA inquiry report. "This is highly condemnable and totally irresponsible," said Sherry Rehman, the parliamentary leader of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in the Senate.

"The government is not sharing the report because something is fishy. The reluctance of the ruling lot in sharing the report means the report exposes the powerful elements that are behind this crisis. Otherwise, they would have shared this report within no time," Mushahidullah Khan from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said.

Leader of the Opposition in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq announced to stage a walkout in protest of the government's reluctance to share the report as the joint opposition followed him and left the floor of the house. Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)'s parliamentary leader in Senate Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif convinced the opposition senators to return to the house on the instructions of the chair.

The opposition senators also staged another walkout in protest of the absence of Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Abdul Hafeez Shaikh from Senate to brief the house on the reports that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was pressuring Pakistan to "keep a distance with China."

The opposition condemned the reports suggesting IMF's pressure on Pakistan to "reduce reliance on China," asking the government to take a firm stance on the issue. Speaking on an adjournment motion on the matter moved by Javed Abbasi and Mushahid Hussain Sayed from the PML-N, Raza Rabbani from the PPP accused the IMF of being in an "evil nexus with India and the United States" to sabotage the Pakistan-China economic prospects envisioned in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

"How dare IMF ask us to stay away from China? This is worst example of imperialism," Rabbani said. Javed Abbasi said the government's failure in tackling domestic issues such as inflation was the result of blindly following the IMF dictation.

"As if this was not enough, the IMF has started influencing our foreign policy. The government has to stand up to this highhandedness." Mushahid Hussain said the reports regarding IMF's pressure on Pakistan to reduce reliance on China need to be seen in the context of recent statements issued by the US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Alice Wells, against the CPEC.

In response to the opposition's criticism, Nauman Wazir Khattak from the ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said, "When we came into power the opposition was criticising us for not going to the IMF. Now that we have gone to the IMF, they are not happy." He supported the federal government's decision to go to the IMF, saying the decision was taken in national interest.

Khattak, however, admitted that Pakistan's sovereignty needs to be upheld and the IMF "has no right to dictate Pakistan on our foreign policy." Winding up the debate, Swati said, "let this be very clear, there is no substitute to China whatsoever. China is most important for Pakistan and vice versa."

He assured the house that adviser to PM on finance and revenue would brief the house in the next session. Meanwhile, The Islamabad High Court (Amendment) Bill, 2020, The Islamabad Consumers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2020, The Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, 2020, and The Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Bill, 2020, were laid in the Senate and referred to the Senate standing committees concerned. The Senate session has been prorogued and its next session has been summoned on February 28, on the requisition moved by the joint opposition.