ISLAMABAD, Mar 03 (APP):Leader of the House in Senate Syed Shibli Faraz on Tuesday told the Senate that unnecessary allegations were levelled against the government vis-a-vis the recent wheat and flour crisis.
The House earlier adopted the report of the Standing Committee on National Food Security about the wheat and atta (flour) crisis.
Shibli said the report revealed that the crisis had emerged due to shortage of supply and non-procurement of wheat by the Sindh government, while wheat and flour were also smuggled from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said recommendations of the committee should be taken seriously and the government should not be criticized mere for point scoring.
He said across-the-board action should be taken against all those who had plundered the national wealth.
The House witnessed an uproar after adopting the report, which was presented by the committee chairman, Syed Muzafar Hussain Shah. Members from both sides of isle traded barbs.
Muzafar Shah said Balochistan and KP could not produce as much wheat to meet their requirements. The two provinces were not given the commodity in April and May 2019 causing rise in its price, he alleged.
He claimed that around 2 million ton less wheat was produced in the country, but 0.6 million tons of the commodity was released to poultry feed mills in Punjab during April and May 2019.
He said the Sindh government did not procure wheat during 2019. Black marketing of wheat led to its shortage in the country, he added.
Leader of the Opposition Raja Zafar Ul Haq stressed the need for a permanent solution of the issue. He urged the Chair to convene a meeting of the Committee of the Whole for discussing the issue in detail.
Senators Pervaiz Rashid, Muhahid Ullah Khan, Mohsin Aziz, Moula Baksh Chandio and other spoke on the occasion.
Later the House was adjourned to meet again on Wednesday at 3 o clock.