Smuggling causing great harm to economy: PM

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday that intelligence agencies would be asked to identify people involved in hoarding and smuggling.

While chairing a meeting on smuggling and to discuss the measures proposed in the ordinance to go after hoarders and smugglers and how to deal with the challenge of locust, the prime minister said that the poor people suffered the most due to hoarding as it led to artificial price hike. The prime minister said that smuggling had been causing a great harm to the economy and hoarding to the poor people, therefore, strict action was required against hoarders and smugglers.

He said that the people involved in such activities should be identified and taken to task to make an example out of them for others. The prime minister also directed that relevant departments must appoint honest people in the areas where there was a fear of smuggling and hoarding.

The prime minister also directed that coordination with the provinces must be made effective and situation monitored on a daily basis to make sure availability of essential commodities and make sure that there was no administrative hurdle.

The meeting was given a briefing on ordinance as well as other measures being taken to prevent smuggling, and noted that closure of border led to decline in smuggling.

The meeting was also given a briefing about the availability of wheat, wheat procurement target for the next fiscal year, and availability of bar dana to farmers.

The PASSCO and the Punjab government have been doing timely measures for procurement of wheat and other provinces also need to take effective measures for wheat procurement and against four million wheat procurement for the last fiscal year.

There is a need to expedite the effort for procurement of 8.2 million tons of wheat, however, there were some difficulties due to current spate of rain, Minister for Food and National Security briefed the meeting.

The prime minister directed for timely completion of wheat procurement target and developing a comprehensive plan to make sure availability of wheat flour to the people at all costs. The meeting also discussed to spray in deserts through helicopter and in fields through machines to eliminate the locust and the meeting was told that getting helicopter and machines to deal with the challenge of locust was quite slow and now it was being expedited.

The prime minister said that after coronavirus locust was biggest challenge for the country and every effort must be made to overcome it.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Interior Ejaz Shah, Minister for National Food Security Fakhar Imam, Minister for Planning Asad Umar, Minister for Economic Affairs Division Khusru Bukhtiar, Advisr on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and others.