LONDON          -        Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Monday demanded the formation of a Parliamentary Committee to investigate the acute shortage of wheat flour and its ramifications in the country.

According to sources, Shehbaz Sharif has directed the PML-N’s Parliamentary leadership to consult the Opposition and formulate a joint strategy to get rid of the incumbent government’s incompetent and destructive agendas.

The PML-N President while calling for an urgent inquiry into the flour crisis said that the nation should be apprised about on whose orders the wheat and flour was exported.

“The nation must know who benefitted from the crisis,” he said.

The PML-N President asked where the wheat reserves had gone in 16 months.

He feared that if this was the case, the situation after three months would be scary. “The rulers termed 2020 as the year of progress, while economic experts are declaring it a year of economic ruin,” he added.

He further said that 48,000 metric tons of wheat was exported between July 25 and October 2019, despite the ban by the federal government. “Food Security claims that not a single kernel has gone out of the country after July 25 then where did the wheat go?” he added.

He went on to state that the rulers have to give account of each penny to the nation.

He added that what could be more shameful than that an agricultural country has to import wheat.

Shehbaz Sharif that 693,000 metric tonnes of flour wheat has been exported from Sept 2018 to Oct 2019. He urged the government to give detail at what price was the flour exported, and at what price it will be imported now.

Shehbaz went on to state that the lives of the common man are being made miserable by the day with the government’s apathetic attitude, adding that the government had failed on all fronts.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan should take strong action against elements involved in creating the conundrum and resolve the matter on an immediate basis,” he added.

The Opposition leader urged the government to reveal the “truth” about the shortage of the basic food commodity in the country after investigation. 

On Jan 18, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif slammed the rise in prices of flour across the country.