Wheat import summary forwarded before my taking charge: former minister

ISLAMABAD: Former caretaker food security minister Dr. Kausar Abdullah Malik has said that the wheat import summary was forwarded before his assuming charge of the ministry.

In an exclusive interview with the ARY News, the interim cabinet member said that the summary of five lac to one million tons wheat import was forwarded. “When I came to know, I said that we have sufficient wheat in store,” former minister said.

“I said that wheat import is not necessary, don’t import grain by the TCP”.

He said,” the matter when discussed in the ECC they said that the private sector should be entrusted for the import”.

Dr Kausar Abdullah said that the matter was first approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC). “What happened later, I don’t know”.

“Allowing private sector for the import was not my mandate, it was the ECC to do,” former caretaker food security minister said. “Minister for Food Security not used to be a member of the ECC, the secretary is being summoned when it is necessary”.

“A date was fixed in the Wheat Board session that no wheat shipment will arrive after that date,” Dr Kausar Abdullah said. “What happened after this date, I am unaware, nor I had a role in it,” former food minister said.

He said the wheat shortage used to be upto 2.5 million metric tons, but 3.5 million metric tons wheat imported. “It is our working culture that the officials don’t inform about many things and act themselves,” former minister said.

“The secretaries aware that the caretaker minister has come for a brief period, and they don’t have authority,” Kausar Abdullah said.

He said, the summary was earlier forwarded but if they prior informed us about increase in the quantity of the import consignment, it could have been stopped.

“Captain (retd) Mohammad Mehmood was the secretary food security at the import time, and he was present before my tenure. “The wheat import was first approved by the cabinet and later the ECC,” he said. “The ministries of finance and commerce have pivotal role in the ECC,” he said. “I had told them in September-October 2023 that we have sufficient stocks of wheat”.

“The Directorate of Plant Protection issues permits for import and export and blunders also used to happen there,” former interim minister said.