ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved action against officials for poor planning and negligence, according to Presstonight.
The government decided to suspend four officers from the Ministry of National Food Security, with no recommendations against the caretaker setup or its key officials. A probe committee, led by Secretary Cabinet Division Kamran Ali Afzal, was formed to investigate last year’s wheat import despite a bumper crop, which resulted in excess wheat stock and left Balochistan and Punjab unable to purchase from farmers.
Earlier this month, PM Shehbaz instructed Afzal to determine responsibility for the scandal and to provide recommendations based on available records and documents.
The surplus has been attributed to the caretaker government, led by former caretaker PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, which allowed the import of 2,758,226 metric tonnes of wheat worth Rs225.783 billion until February 2024. Kakar, however, claimed that only 3.4 million metric tonnes were imported, despite a shortage of four million metric tonnes.
Geo News sources reported that the Ministry of National Food Security informed PM Shehbaz’s cabinet that 28.18 million tonnes of wheat were produced last year, with an additional 2.45 million tonnes imported by the caretaker government.
Actions have been approved against former federal secretary of national food security Muhammad Asif, a Grade 21 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service who was made OSD. The officers to be suspended include former director general plant protection AD Abid, Food Security Commissioner I Dr Wasim, Director Sohail, and Punjab Director Food Security Imtiaz Gopang.
PM Shehbaz has also called a high-level meeting to be attended by Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer and officials from the Pakistan Agricultural and Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) and the food security department. The meeting will discuss the procurement of wheat and address issues faced by farmers.
