A four-member committee, led by Cabinet Secretary Kamran Ali Afzal, is set to interrogate former caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar as part of its investigation into the wheat import scandal, as per Headline PK’s sources.
Convening in Islamabad, the committee aims to uncover the reasons behind the wheat imports and identify the officials responsible for authorizing the illegal imports despite expectations of a bumper wheat crop in the country.
Former Secretaries of Food Security Capt (r) Muhammad Mahmood and Capt (r) Asif have already been questioned by the committee regarding their involvement.
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Additionally, the committee plans to question former caretaker Federal Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar on Sunday, emphasizing that the role of interim federal cabinet members cannot be overlooked in the wheat import scandal.
Summoning concerned officers from Customs, Karachi Port, and the FBR, the committee’s meeting is expected to extend late into the night.
Prime Minister Shehbaz chaired a meeting last year, appointing Secretary Cabinet Division Kamran Ali Afzal to head the inquiry committee probing the wheat import during the caretaker government’s tenure, despite ample domestic production.
Statistics reveal that a total of 3,449,436 metric tons of wheat, valued at Rs282.975 billion, was imported during the caretaker government and the ongoing fiscal year until March.
Meanwhile, Federal Secretary of the National Food Security and Research Division Captain (R) Muhammad Asif has been removed from his post by PM Shehbaz due to his involvement in the wheat import during the caretaker government. Dr. Muhammad Fakhr Alam Irfan has been appointed as the new federal secretary of the National Food Security and Research Division.