ISLAMABAD - A writ petition seeking legal action against the sugar and flour mills owners, pointed out by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in its report, was moved in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) here on Friday.
In this matter, Muhammad Zaman Gillani moved the court through his counsel Rana Ahmad Raza Advocate and cited Federation of Pakistan through Secretary Ministry of Textile Industry, Secretary Ministry of National Food Security & Research, Director General FIA, Chairman National Accountability Bureau, Government of the Punjab through its Chief Minister and others as respondents.
The petitioner stated that the FIA submitted an investigation report into the sugar and wheat crisis which was ordered by Prime Minister Imran Khan in February, 2020. When the two preliminary inquiry reports were presented to him, he ordered them to be made public. The reports pointing to sudden price hikes of sugar and wheat were released immediately without any “alteration or tampering”. He added that Pakistan’s flour crisis became acute during the second half of 2019, affecting major cities such as Karachi, Hyderabad and Lahore, with prices shooting up to Rs.70/- per kilogram in some areas.
The petitioner further said that despite the ban on wheat export imposed in July 2019, the government allowed export of 48,000 tons, which fuelled the price hike in the country.
