Shahid Khaqan clarifies ‘corruption in Punjab flour scheme' statement

• Clarification comes after Punjab interim govt's rebuttal.
• Abbasi says Usman Buzdar regime was most corrupt government.
•  Says interim govt in Punjab doesn't have any links with corruption.

Following a strong rebuttal by the Punjab government, former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday issued a clarification about his statement in which he had levelled corruption allegations in the flour scheme.  

The ex-premier had earlier claimed that Rs20 billion were embezzled from the federal government’s free flour distribution scheme in Punjab.  To this, the interim government had asked Abbasi to provide proof backing his claims. 

"I didn't talk about any corruption but about the system," the veteran politician said while speaking to media outside an accountability court today.

He said that the Usman Buzdar-led government was the most corrupt regime in the province.

"Punjab food department is corrupt. The interim government in Punjab doesn't have any links with corruption," he said.

He reiterated that 25% of funds reserved for the poor by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had been embezzled.

Abbasi further stated that the elections had to be conducted by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and not Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

"The parties who want to take part in the polls will participate," the former premier said.

He said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) participated in dialogues both times with "ill intentions".

"Do the politics if you want but the country won't run like this,"

Abbasi's allegations

Addressing a ceremony in Lahore a few days back, Abbasi had said that the country’s system had become "so corrupt and outdated" that it couldn't deliver.

He said corrupt government officials would be identified in the past "but today is the time when we have to look for honest officers."

Abbasi asked what did poor get out of Rs84 billion subsidy allocated by the federal and provincial governments to provide free flour to the poor during the holy month of Ramazan.

"More than Rs20 billion were stolen in the government's free flour scheme," he alleged.

Interim setup's response

Upset by the allegations, the interim government on Monday termed the former prime minister's claims “false and fabricated”.

Punjab's Information Minister Amir Mir issued a statement refuting Abbasi's statement about the provincial government's free flour distribution programme, saying they had provided relief to millions of beneficiaries under the scheme.

"There wasn’t even an ounce of corruption,” the minister said, highlighting that the claims damaged their own credibility.

Mir added that the scheme was Punjab's most successful one ensuring the provision of free flour during the Holy month of Ramzan to approximately 30 million people. He added that the programme had been jointly funded by the federal and provincial administrations.

The minister lamented that the scheme was being targeted due to the PML-N's internal differences and urged the party's stalwart to either provide evidence to back his allegations or apologise.

"The caretaker Punjab government believes in transparency and impartiality and can give an account of every penny regarding the flour scheme. Therefore, no one can accuse it of corruption," the provincial minister said.