ISI official made part of panel probing sugar crisis

By Muhammad YaseenPublished On 06 Jan 2023

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Tuesday approved including a member of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in a high-powered committee tasked with investigating the upsurge in prices of sugar, which triggered a crisis at a time when the country was also grappling with wheat flour shortage.

The cabinet’s live video conference – presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan – has decided that an ISI official and a member nominated by the State Bank of Pakistan would also be part of the committee probing into the sugar crisis.

“The cabinet has approved including a member of the ISI in the committee formed to investigate the sugar crisis in the meeting,” read a statement issued after PM’s Special Assistant on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan, Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri and Council of Islamic Ideology Chairman Dr. Qibla Ayaz held a news conference here on Tuesday.

Earlier, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general was the head of the committee and other members included the head of Punjab’s Anti-Corruption Department as well as a Grade-20 or 21 officers of the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

It was decided that the FIA director-general, who will be the convener of the committee, could seek assistance from anyone in the probe. After the wheat flour crisis that started in November 2019 and worsened around mid-January 2020, the sugar price also shot up across the country.

Meanwhile, in his address to the nation in connection with the COVID-19 on Tuesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan warned hoarders against “taking advantage of public’s helplessness”. Just like wheat and sugar crises, the premier said that the government suspects that “an artificial shortage of basic commodities will be created, which will cause prices to go up”.

Giving a stern warning against stocking basic commodities, Premier Imran said that strict action would be taken against all those who are involved in such practices. “An economic committee will be formed to review the effects of COVID-19 crisis on the economy.”

The premier said that the committee would ensure that the prices of essential commodities do not go up. “Mark my words, all those who try to hoard goods will be taken to task by the government.”

Earlier, it was decided that the probe panel on sugar crisis would not only identify the people and institutions responsible for the crisis but would also try to figure out if the surge in prices was the result of an attempt to favor some individuals or a group.

The committee was also tasked with presenting recommendations to avoid such crises in the future. The PM Office had sent the committee a list of over a dozen questions and asked it to find out if less sugar was produced this year and if the decrease in production caused its shortage.

Addressing the news conference, the aviation minister announced that the government will resume international flight operations at all airports, except Gwadar and Turbat, across the country from March 21 after spending the past few days better equipping the airports to ensure proper screening of travelers for the novel coronavirus.

Earlier, the international flight operations were restricted to only three major airports – Islamabad, Karachi, and Lahore.

“Entry within Pakistan territorial limits will not be allowed without the negative authentic RT-PCR test result for COVID-19,” said the aviation minister.

Khan said, “All passengers traveling to Pakistan would be required to provide a certified copy of test result for COVID-19 through RT-PCR conducted during the 24-hour period prior to boarding the flight.”

He said that the test result must include the name and passport number of the passenger, adding that the original test result would be required at the disembarkation airport in Pakistan. “All airlines are required to comply with this mandatory requirement,” he said. “The condition will remain in place till April 4.”

He said the measure has been taken to control the spread of coronavirus in Pakistan.

Khan said the requirement for test results would be in addition to the current requirement of submission of completed health declaration form at the point of disembarkation in Pakistan.

He said that the position would be continuously monitored as per the evolving situation and would be subject to review at the appropriate time, adding that all domestic departures at the airports were required to conduct screening of passengers for coronavirus before being allowed to board the flight.

“This mandatory screening at domestic departure would be enforced with effect from March 21 with the help of respective federal or provincial health authorities,” he added.

He said that all aircraft were required to be disinfected as per the best industry practices prior to the embarkation of passengers at the point of origin. The airline, he said, would be required to submit a certificate in that regard to the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, failing which the aircraft would be denied entry into Pakistan. “A similar mandatory condition has also been imposed with respect to domestic flights as well.”

To a question, he said that the Pakistan International Airlines’ flight operations to bring back about 5,000 Umrah pilgrims from Saudi Arabia would continue till March 19.

Zulfi Bukhari and Taftan controversy

To a question why students in China were barred from returning to Pakistan while pilgrims returning from Iran were allowed to come back allegedly after Special Assistant to the PM on Overseas Pakistanis Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari influenced the authorities concerned, the SAPM on information said that all Pakistani passport holders could not be stopped from entering into Pakistan once their limited-stay period was over in Iran.

Firdous said the main difference between students and the pilgrims is that the Chinese government offered to keep the students in China while the Iranian officials brought the pilgrims on the border after their limited-time-entry period was over.

“Legally, pilgrims cannot remain in Iran after their period of stay is over,” she said, adding that people who had gone to perform Umrah had also been brought back from Saudi Arabia after the kingdom imposed a ban on Umrah due to COVID-19.

“All these rumors [regarding Zulfi Bukhari] are mere allegations,” she said, adding that pilgrims were quarantined with the consent of all stakeholders. Hurling such allegations, she said, was inappropriate but the “opposition’s usual tactic”.

Hundreds of Pakistani students were stranded in Wuhan when the city was under lockdown to prevent the coronavirus from spreading.

India bans entry into Kartarpur: Qadri

“India has decided to ban entry into Kartarpur,” Qadri said in reply to Firdous’ comment that the government was not in favor of restricting pilgrims from coming to Kartarpur from India because their access was limited to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib only.