Asad Umar asks sugar inquiry commission to summon him

Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Monday responded to PML-N’s earlier allegations on the PTI government regarding the sugar crisis, requesting the commission to summon him instead of the prime minister. 

Taking to Twitter, Umar maintained that the cabinet had made the decisions on the recommendations of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), therefore he and not Prime Minister Imran Khan was answerable to the inquiry commission. 

The minister said that the former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had demanded the commission to hold an inquiry against PM Imran and the cabinet regarding the sugar crisis, however, in case any doubts persist in the matter, the commission can summon him [Asad Umar] for further inquiry.

Earlier on Friday, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had said that the decisions taken by the Economic Coordination Committee and federal cabinet led to a hike in prices of sugar across the country earlier this year.

The PML-N leader was talking to media outside the Federal Investigation Agency’s headquarters, where he had met wheat and sugar crisis inquiry commission head Wajid Zia to record his statement.

Read also: ECC, cabinet decisions led to hike in sugar prices: Shahid Khaqan Abbasi

In his media talk, Abbasi had said that he presented all the ‘facts’ before the commission.

Abbasi had said that the prime minister should ask his cabinet regarding the increase in rates of sugar, adding that the green signal to export sugar was given despite no surplus amount of the product in the country.

Abbasi said that for sixteen months the export of sugar continued but the government did not take any notice of it.

He had also said that there should be a tax on imports so it is not possible to import sugar.

“The situation proves that the prime minister is corrupt,” said the senior PML-N leader.