ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will appear on Saturday (today) before the commission of inquiry investigating the recent shortage and price hike of sugar in the country.

Mr Abbasi told Dawn on Friday he would inform the commission how sugar scandals develop, in the light of his experience as a former chief executive of the country.

He said he had written a letter to the commission, offering his services to it by sharing his experiences in probing scams. “I wrote the letter to the commission, as under the Commission of Inquiry Act any citizen can assist such commissions in investigating such scams,” he said.

Upon receiving the letter, Mr Abbasi said, the commission asked him to provide a written statement, or any other document, that would help in investigating the scandal. “I told the commission that I will not give any written statement or document, but will assist it on the basis of my experience, I being a former member of the Economic Coordination Committee (of the cabinet) and former head of the federal cabinet,” he said.

Mr Abbasi, who served as the prime minister in the last PML-N government, said he would explain to the commission how the sugar crisis occurred.

When asked to share some of the reasons behind the crisis, the former premier said allowing export of the commodity was one of the main reasons. “The commission has to ascertain who gave the approval for export of sugar when its local demand had not been taken care of.”

He said he would request the commission to keep his meeting with its members open to all. Another PML-N leader and former defence minister Khurram Dastagir Khan would be accompanying Mr Abbasi to the meeting.

The commission is investigating the recent shortage of sugar and wheat in the country, in which some key members and allies of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf were allegedly involved.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2020

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ABSTRACT

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