Centre holds Sindh responsible for increase in wheat price

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Monday said that the Sindh government was responsible for the present increase in flour prices as it was not releasing its share of wheat in the market.

Addressing a press conference along with Minister for Food Security Syed Fakhar Imam, the information minister maintained that in the market, the impression was deliberately being given that the flour prices were rising.

He said that Punjab and Sindh had higher wheat production but the Sindh government had created a situation that was forcing people to purchase wheat at higher rates.

Shibli Faraz said that in the past, some people made illicit profiteering by such tactics and nurtured the system that has troubled the people of the country.

The profiteers were trying to discredit the government, he said, warning that those responsible for artificial shortages would be dealt with severe consequences.

Read more: Attempts being made to create a wheat crisis in country, says Murtaza Wahab

Rueing the fact that most people in rural Sindh suffered from malnutrition as the provincial government did nothing for the well-being of its people, the minister said that the rains in Karachi had exposed the poor performance of the Sindh government.

The federal minister went on to add that PPP had pushed the innocent people of the province into the swamp of poverty with its ineffective policies.

The petroleum prices rose in Pakistan due to an upward trend in the international market, he said, lamenting that the situation had not returned to normalcy yet in the country due to the coronavirus pandemic.

'Centre, Punjab blaming Sindh to hide their incompetence'

Responding to the accusations of the federal minister, Sindh Information Minister Nasir Shah asserted that the Centre and the Punjab government are blaming Sindh in order to hide their incompetence.

"Wheat is still being transported from Sindh to other provinces," Shah said, adding that he was surprised to see that "even sensible federal ministers are talking nonsense."

Questioning why the Punjab government is not taking action against the hoarders, Shah said that the Punjab ministers "should end partnerships with hoarders and take action against them".

"Federal ministers should go to Punjab and review the performance of their government, and then make allegations," he added.