Sugar probe commission summons Planning Minister Asad Umar: sources

ISLAMABAD: An inquiry commission formed to probe Pakistan's sugar crisis has summoned Federal Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar on May 12 to record his statement, sources informed Geo News late Monday.

Umar is set to appear before the commission on Tuesday, record his statement, and answer questions pertaining to the export of and subsidies on sugar as he was the finance minister at that time.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the former prime minister and PML-N leader who had appeared before the commission a day earlier, also recommended that the incumbent planning minister be summoned.

The PTI leader had previously expressed his wish to appear before the sugar probing commission.

Umar had said on Twitter the cabinet had made decisions based on the Economic Coordination Committee's (ECC) recommendations, therefore, neither him nor Prime Minister Imran Khan were answerable to the inquiry commission.

'PM should question his cabinet'

He was responding to the PML-N’s earlier allegations against the PTI government regarding the sugar crisis. He had noted that Abbasi had demanded the commission hold an inquiry against PM Imran and the cabinet regarding the sugar crisis.

However, in case any doubts persisted in the matter, the commission could summon him for further inquiry.

Speaking to media outside the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) headquarters, where he had met wheat and sugar crisis inquiry commission head Wajid Zia to record his statement, the PML-N leader had said the decisions taken by the ECC and federal cabinet led to a hike in sugar prices across Pakistan earlier this year.

He had said the premier should question his cabinet on the increase in the sugar prices and that a green signal to export sugar was given despite no surplus available in the country. For 16 months, sugar exports had continued but the government failed to take any notice.

Abbasi had also said there should be a tax on imports in order to ensure sugar could not be imported. “The situation proves that the prime minister is corrupt,” the senior PML-N leader had said.