Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vice president and parliamentary leader in Sindh assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh has said that the provincial government of Sindh is directly responsible for ongoing artificial wheat flour crisis. According to details, PTI leaders Haleem Adil, opposition leader in Sindh assembly Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Ashraf Qureshi, Khuram Sher Zaman, Hunaid Lakhani, Aftab Jahangir, Captain Jameel Ahmed and others held a joint press conference in the Insaf House here on Sunday.

Addressing on the occasion, Haleem Adil said for a last few days, some vested interests in Sindh are trying their best to hold the federal government responsible for wheat flour crisis. He said the facts tell a different story and expose the ugly face of provincial government of Sindh, its corruption and mismanagement.

He said that in the godowns of Pasco of federal government, there was a stockpile of 0.4 million tonnes of wheat of Sindh government, but the Sindh government has only lifted 0.1m tonnes and the rest stock of 0.3m tonnes of wheat of Sindh government is present in the godowns of Pasco which are situated not in Lahore or KPK but in Sindh province.

He said in the government of Nawaz Sharif there was a pact to supply wheat to Afghanistan, but in last July this agreement was ended by the PTI government.

Haleem Adil said that Rs 90 billion were looted by the rulers of Sindh, but the anti-corruption or 'aunty-corruption' department of Sindh has yet to file its report in this regard. He asked in whose pocket these billion of rupees actually went? He asked where is the account of the stockpile of 0.4million tonnes of wheat?

He said that even today overall 1million tonnes of wheat is present in the Pasco godowns in Sindh province, but the provincial government of Sindh in order to malign the federal government has created this artificial crisis of wheat. He made it clear that to supply wheat to flour mills and other stakeholders is the responsibility of the provincial government.

He said Bilawal is decrying about injustice with Sindh, but the injustice is made by those who looted government funds and made corruption in wheat procurement and distribution. He said the ruling party PPP is behind the artificial crisis of wheat flour in Sindh. He said under the 18th amendment the food department is now with the provincial government of Sindh, and hopefully Bilawal would also give a statement in this regard.

Haleem Adil said corruption mafia in Sindh has sold 0.8 million tonnes of wheat on credit to their favourite people and made no recovery from them. He said now the NAB has taken action against them and recovered Rs 10 billion from them. He said in Sindh from 0.8 million tonnes of wheat, 0.4 million tonnes were eaten from what he called 'mice of PPP'.

He said till yesterday 0.3 million tonnes of wheat of Sindh government were present in the Pasco godowns but the Sindh government is not lifting this stock. He said to control the rate of wheat flour is also the responsibility of Sindh government. He said today the Sindh food department has to pay Rs 90 billion loan taken from banks for wheat procurement.

Haleem Adil said that the federal government has started sending 10,000 tonnes of wheat to Karachi and Hyderabad through NLC trucks. He said Ismail Rahu has started telling lies since he has joined the PPP. He said in past IGPs in Sindh had also been transferred but no minister had ever read charge sheet against them on media. He said the IGP is still present in Sindh and he would also be present in future.

Firdous Shamim Naqvi said in Sindh the tempo of corruption is more than the tempo of politics. He said we want to raise the issues faced by general public. He said the Sindh government is only talking about good governance and transparency but taking no action. He said wheat flour was given to Sindh at the rate of Rs 34 per kg but it is being sold at Rs 80 per kg.

He said as Asif Zardari was involved in sugar price scam, his ministers are involved in the wheat flour price scam. He said the federal government is giving a subsidy to Sindh in wheat procurement.

He said most of the flour mills in Sindh are owned by their assembly members and they are directly involved in this artificial crisis.

MPA Khuram Sher Zaman appealed to the NAB to initiate probe into the wheat flour rate scam. He said chief minister Murad Ali Shah has proved a total failure. He said we have already filed an adjournment motion on this issue in Sindh assembly.

Hari Ram said Sindh has got sufficient stock of wheat but the provincial government has created an artificial crisis. He said a network of corruption mafia is involved in this scam.-PR