According to a Sunday story in The News, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared that the government would bring the culprits behind the wheat import crisis to justice.
PM Shehbaz declared, “We will put everything before the nation,” at a meeting with Cabinet Division Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal, the official in charge of the investigation into the matter.
The premier gave Afzal instructions to determine who was responsible for the scandal, to notify the person or people in charge, and to make suggestions based on the records and documents that were available. The cabinet secretary was also instructed to provide the final report by tomorrow, Monday.
The prime minister’s comments came as the federal government found itself in a bind after the governments of Punjab and Balochistan were unable to buy wheat from the farmers because of a surplus in stock which, so far, is being attributed to excessive import of the crop.
Due to the non-purchase of wheat by the provincial governments, wheat is being sold at a lower price than the official rate — a matter of grave concern for the farmers.