Punjab, KP responsible but wheat crisis being blamed on Sindh: Murtaza

Barrister Murtaza Wahab, spokesperson for the Sindh government and adviser to the Sindh chief minister on law, environment and coastal development, has said the province produced 3.852 million metric tonnes of wheat and met production target. 

On the other hand, he said, wheat production target in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was not met, but still Sindh was being blamed for the wheat crisis. 

Addressing a press conference in Karachi on Friday, Murtaza said that federal ministers should respond to queries about the wheat produced by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and tell people that Punjab did not purchase 4.5 million metric tonnes of wheat per its target. He said the federal agency Pasco had to buy 1.8 million tonnes of wheat to meet the purchase target. He said that Sindh has achieved wheat production and procurement targets, but the federal government is shifting the blame of incompetence on the Sindh government. 

Murtaza Wahab said the PTI government was responsible for the shortage of wheat. “The federal government took anti-farmer measures. If the farmer gets the price of the crop, he will cultivate more. The Sindh government suggested the federal government to set the wheat support price at Rs2,000 per 40 kilograms. If the federal government fixes the wheat support price at Rs1400, how will the farmer cultivate the crop?” he asked. 

He said that an arbitrary price was being paid to the importer importing wheat. “The federal government is not ready to benefit farmers. The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) believes people are the source of power. Parliament became inactive during Imran Khan's rule, he said. 

Answering questions from journalists, he said it is important to know the demand of Jahangir Tareen at this time? He said the incumbent government had thrown debris on Jahangir Tareen. Jahangir Tareen used to attend every meeting. He said that mafias running the government were taking advantage of the situation. Is this the new Pakistan where commodity prices are increasing every day? 

He said that PPP has always stood by its principles. “Read the entire interview of Bilawal Bhutto. Not only in 2018 but also in 2013 elections there was no transparency. He said that if there was no evidence then rhetoric should be avoided. No one should interfere in politics. The Sindh government is not the only one responsible for the lack of transport plans in Karachi. In whose tenure was the Karachi Circular Railway closed? The MQM remained part of the federal and provincial governments. The Lahore Orange train was guaranteed by the federal government while the Karachi Circular Railway project was not guaranteed by the federal government. How will the project start if there is no guarantee?” he asked.