PESHAWAR: Advisor to KP Chief Minister on Information and Public Relations, Barrister Dr Muhammad Ali Saif has demanded formation of a judicial commission to investigate the ongoing ‘sugar scandal’.
In a statement issued here on Tuesday, he stated that after wheat scandal, now through manipulation of sugar import and export, the ‘sugar mill mafia’ has been granted undue benefits. He called for an independent and transparent investigation into the sugar scandal and strict punishment for those involved.
He emphasised that it is crystal clear that the sugar mill mafia is directly linked to the ruling elite. Several sugar mills are owned by families belonging to rulers, who have allegedly gained billions of rupees through this import-export manipulation.
Dr Saif claimed that Rs. 38 billion have been extracted from the public’s pockets and funnelled into the hands of the sugar mafia through this scheme, while the ruling class, in collaboration with the mafia, continues to exploit the people.
Instead of providing relief to the public, the government is favouring the sugar mill mafia, he added. The rulers in partnership with the sugar mafia are looting the nation, he alleged, adding that national resources have suffered irreparable losses—first in the name of sugar export and then under the guise of sugar import.
He said that those who previously protested sugar prices at Rs. 110 per kilogram during Imran Khan's tenure have now gone silent, alleging that the current government has raised sugar prices to Rs. 200 per kilogram through collusion with the sugar mafia. He accused the current government of abandoning the public to the mercy of the sugar mafia while securing their own share of the profits.
He concluded by stating that due to the decades-long dominance of the political elite, the country has been set back economically. The poor are being forced into starvation, while the political elite remain indifferent, building palaces abroad with taxpayers' money, as the general public is crushed under the burden of inflation.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.