Asad Umar to appear before sugar probe commission today
Asad Umar to answer questions pertaining to the export of and subsidies on sugar
May 12, 2020
ISLAMABAD: Federal Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar will appear before an inquiry commission formed to probe the sugar crisis to record his statement, reported Geo News.
Umar will answer questions pertaining to the export of and subsidies on sugar. He had previously expressed his wish to appear before the sugar probing commission.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, the former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader who had appeared before the commission on Sunday, had earlier recommended that the incumbent planning minister be summoned.
In a post on Twitter, Umar had said the cabinet had made decisions based on the Economic Coordination Committee's (ECC) recommendations, hence he and not Prime Minister Imran Khan should appear before the commission to provide an explanation for it.
'PM should question his cabinet'
The minister had been responding to the PML-N leader’s earlier allegations against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf 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, Abbasi 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.
