Sugar inquiry report

Unlike most reports of various Inquiry committees and commissions formed by previous governments, the reports of the sugar Inquiry Committee and the Commission(established in the light of the Committee's report) have been made public. The credit for this departure from what had become the norm in the country goes solely to Prime Minister Imran Khan, who true to his oath of office ensured that considerations of political expediency and friendship do not come in the way of exposing the players and factors behind the sugar price spiral. The Commission, too, deserves to be commended for its incisive forensic report that laid bare the skeletons in the cupboards of the sugar barons and exposed the methodology employed by them for usurious exploitation of farmers.
However, matters should not rest here; the government must ensure that in the light of the commission's findings, the persons and bodies that through their acts of omission and commission are responsible for this "loot" are taken to task and all efforts made to reclaim the government revenue lost due to the corrupt practices of under-invoicing, over-invoicing and price gouging. It is also necessary to revisit policies in the agri sector in general and the sugar sub-sector in particular to ensure that farmers are not denied their due share under the policies framed for their benefit.