Sugar, wheat flour crises: Cabinet authorises body to carry out investigation

The federal cabinet on Tuesday authorised the committee tasked by Prime Minister Imran Khan to probe the sugar and wheat flour crises under the Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act, 2017, and gave further time for conducting a forensic audit of the information collected and the accounts.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, the Special Assistant to the Primer Minister on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said that the cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan discussed a 12-point agenda.

She said that the cabinet was updated on the progress made so far on compiling the report on the wheat flour and sugar crises in the country. About the sugar crisis, Awan said that secretary Interior gave a detailed briefing to the cabinet and stated that director general, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) who was the convener of the committee, had sought some time, as the agency wanted to conduct forensic audit of the collected information and the accounts, "which was granted".

She said the prime minister directed the committee to complete the inquiry on a war footing and submit its report to the cabinet, so that the findings were made public so that people should know the facts.

The prime minister directed to identify those who were responsible for the crisis of these commodities in the country, adding that the objective of the report was to address the problem permanently.

She said the cabinet approved granting of powers of the Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act 2017 to the committee, adding that the committee would also be authorised to constitute special teams for conducting investigations into "some other matters" as well.

She said the cabinet also approved inclusion of senior representative of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), representatives from the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), besides the DG FIA and DG Anti-Corruption Department in the committee.

At the same time, she said the prime minister also directed the committee to also probe into the role of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) as to why it played the role of a silent spectator before the sugar and wheat crises in the country.

About the shortages of wheat flour, she said the cabinet was informed that the report of the inquiry would be received in a week. Responding to a question, Awan said the problem could not be resolved by targeting one or a few "individuals" to be behind the artificial crises of the commodities, "but we have to look into all the problems that exist in the system and bring about a comprehensive mechanism to permanently address it".

"The prime minister is committed to exposing all those and made the report public of the findings of the committee, and he will do this," she asserted.

Awan said the cabinet decided that the procedure of issuing the utility bills of electricity, gas, etc., should be streamlined and such a procedure was set up that the bills were received to consumers on fix dates instead of different dates for the facilitation of people.

She said the Cabinet underscored the need for making a uniform calendar for issuance of utility bills, besides introducing a system to enable consumers to deport their bills online, through a mobile application and "easy paisa", besides in the designated banks.

Awan said the cabinet also instructed the ministries concerned to consider payment of utility bills in installments. She said the Power Division responded to the queries raised by the cabinet members about the energy crisis in the country.

Awan said the prime minister told the cabinet that his government inherited energy crisis from the previous governments as "all the agreements in electricity, gas and LNG were made during the tenure of previous governments".

However, people have to face the consequences of these decisions, she said, adding that it was decided that energy issue would be deliberated upon in the next meeting of the cabinet and a comprehensive roadmap would be chalked out with a view to giving relief to the masses through a rationalized mechanism. In an obvious reference to former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, she said: "Mr LNG struck such contracts under which the members of his family and friends were obliged, due to which the people are suffering today".

Awan said the cabinet was also briefed on the protest by federal government employees for rationalising their pay scales, adding that the prime minister directed for uniform pay scales of government employees to avoid discrimination.

She said that Advisor on Finance Abdul Hafeez Sheikh was assigned to hold talks with protesting employees and also work with central and provincial governments to remove the disparity and both should send proposals to the cabinet so that the sense of deprivation among the employees could be removed.

The issue of testing service for jobs in various government departments was also discussed by the cabinet. Adviser on Establishment and Special Assistant on Social Welfare are to devise a course of action regarding testing in government departments, so that candidates for the posts of grades 1 to 5 are facilitated.

She said the cabinet rejected an agenda item, which proposed import of insecticides and anti-dengue vaccines from India and reiterated its decision not to do trade with India due to its atrocities on the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Awan said the prime minister instructed the concerned ministry to import these medical items from other countries. Responding to a question about decrease in oil prices in the international market and devaluation of Pakistani currency against the dollar, she said as per contracts with the suppliers, the benefit could not immediately be passed on to masses as it was whole cycle of 90 days.

However, she said the prime minister directed the Finance Ministry to evolve an appropriate mechanism, so that people could benefit from the decrease in oil prices in the international marker, adding that the adviser on finance would soon brief the cabinet in this regard.

About the rise in value of the dollar, Awan insisted: "The good news is that the pressure on the dollar internationally has a little impact on the Pakistani rupee compared to the currencies of many other countries...this is because of the sound economic policy of the government." The cabinet was briefed on the coronavirus situation in the country, she said and added that Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari and Special Assistant on National Health Dr Zafar Mirza apprised the cabinet of their talks with parents of Pakistani students in China and steps taken for their welfare.

The cabinet endorsed its earlier decision not to export surgical masks keeping in view the coronavirus situation in the country.

The special assistant said the prime minister was informed of the public interest initiatives of various ministries and also overviewed the decisions made by the cabinet so far.

The cabinet was given a briefing by Advisor on Institutional Reforms regarding the reorganization of government departments. The cabinet approved the proposals regarding various ministries and departments.

The cabinet discussed the quota of Islamabad residents in various government jobs and decided that 50 percent quota would be reserved for domicile holders of the federal capital in various public sector jobs in grades 1 to 15.

This quota will be applicable for jobs based in Islamabad, she added. The cabinet approved resignation of chairman BOI Zubair Gilani, who tendered it on personal reasons.

She said the cabinet also approved the appointment of Brig Tariq Basher as general manager [admin] of the Karachi Port Trust, while appointment of Akhtar Ahmad Bogio as DG Pakistan Halal Food Authority was also approved. The cabinet also approved appointments of Abdul Majeed Khan, Zaheer Baig and Adnan Ahmad as independent members over the board of Pakistan Utility Stores Corporation.