ISLAMABAD: Senior vice president of the main opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has urged the commission of inquiry on the sugar scam to include Prime Minister Imran Khan and the then finance minister Asad Umar in the investigation to find out the truth.

Talking to reporters after appearing before the commission with another senior party leader and former minister Khurram Dastagir Khan here on Saturday, Mr Abbasi said he had told the commission there would be no worth of its report if it did not summon the prime minister and Mr Umar, the then chairman of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) that had allowed export of sugar despite knowing it was not available in stock.

“We do not talk politics. We have presented facts before the commission. If the prime minister and the [former] ECC chairman are not called [for interrogation] there will be no worth of the commission’s report,” said Mr Abbasi, who had served as prime minister after disqualification of Nawaz Sharif in July 2017 as a result of the Supreme Court’s verdict in Al-Azizia corruption case.

Mr Abbasi had himself written a letter to the commission and offered his services to it by sharing his experiences in probing the sugar scam. He had stated that he would inform the commission how sugar scandals developed in the light of his experience as a former chief executive of the country.

Mr Abbasi held the prime minister directly responsible for over Rs100 billion sugar scam, saying the inquiry commission should ask him the reason for allowing sugar export despite the fact that the commodity was not available in surplus in the country and for not taking any step to prevent increase in its price. He said the export continued for 16 months with 45 per cent increase in the sugar price in the country, but the government took no notice of it.

The former prime minister alleged that the sugar mill owners earned Rs30 per kilogram extra due to this decision of the government. He said the increase in sugar price proved the decisions of the cabinet and the ECC to export sugar were wrong.

“There can be three factors behind this wrong decision. Either the prime minister is incompetent or corrupt or he is both. The facts prove he is incompetent as well as corrupt and the people of Pakistan are paying the price for it,” he said.

Mr Abbasi said he had told the inquiry commission it would not be able to understand the issue until it would not summon the members of the cabinet and the ECC.

“Is it not a matter of conflict of interests?” he asked, alleging those who made billions through the sugar scam were part of the federal cabinet.

Mr Abbasi said it was a clear, open and shut case as facts showed sugar was exported against the advice of the relevant authorities and continued to be exported for 16 months while prices rose. He said not only that, the government also imposed a special tax on sugar import to ensure the rise in price and exploitation of the people.

Replying to a question, the former prime minister said when the PML-N had left the government in 2018, the sugar price was Rs54 per kg. He said the PML-N had also given huge subsidy of over Rs20bn and even allowed the export, but at the same time it kept check on its price and brought the price down.

Responding to another query, he said they had not given anything in writing or any document, but they were ready to do so, if asked. However, he said, the minutes of the meetings of the cabinet and the ECC would be sufficient as evidence.

The federal cabinet in its meeting on April 28 had allowed three more weeks to the Sugar Forensic Commission (SFC) to compile its report on last year’s food crisis after the expiry of the April 25 deadline given for the task.

The commission headed by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Wajid Zia had reportedly made a formal request to the federal government to grant it more time citing multiple reasons, including the situation created by coronavirus.

The commission had been constituted by the government in the first week of April following the release of two separate inquiry reports of the FIA on the issue of artificial shortage of sugar and wheat in the country and sudden increase in their prices last year.

The inquiry report on sugar had revealed names of many bigwigs, including Jahangir Tareen, former secretary general of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and a close confidant of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had allegedly obtained benefit during the crisis.

The report had showed in the past few years sugar production was historically more than the local requirement and said therefore it was imperative to include this aspect related to export of sugar, including any subsidy given, its impact on local sugar prices and eventually major beneficiaries of such export subsidies, if any. The inquiry committee had found the sugar export was not justified as sugarcane production was expected to be low in harvesting season 2018-19 and with the export of sugar in Jan 2019, the prices of sugar sharply increased.

After the release of the report, the opposition had demanded that the PM take stern action against those who had been declared responsible for the crisis by the FIA committee.

PM Khan had vowed to take action, but said he would do so after receiving the forensic audit report from the commission he had constituted on the recommendation of the ‘initial’ reports. The commission comprises officials from a number of agencies and departments, including Intelligence Bureau and the Federal Board of Revenue.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2020

Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s campaign is beefing up its digital staff, just as it had been hit by a series of technical problems at a virtual event on Thursday -- and amid alarm bells from Democratic allies that it is lagging behind the Trump campaign on the digital battlefield.

The NCAA has made it clear that unless college campuses are open to the entire student body in the fall, there are no plans to risk the health of student-athletes for the sake of sports. 

She thought we wouldn’t notice.

Appearing in an Instagram live chat with soccer star Megan Rapinoe on April 30, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden made a spontaneous, vague statement about how he’s been “speaking to a lot of Republicans,” including “former colleagues, who are calling and saying Joe, if you win, we’re gonna help.”

Then he showed his hand: “Matter of fact, there’s some major Republicans who are already forming ‘Republicans for Biden,’” the former vice president said. “Major officeholders.”

The comment hardly received any attention at the time. But in declaring it, Biden ended up tipping off the earliest stages of a brewing effort that’s starting to get underway in certain Republican circles behind-the-scenes. 

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Google makes Meet video conferencing app free for everyone, Raspberry Pi gets a new high-definition camera attachment, Intel’s new consumer processors have up to 10 cores! With Zoom being the flavour of the month, Google is feeling a bit left out. Therefore, to challenge Zoom’s popularity, Google has made its Google Meet, its own robust…

Zoom meeting job review scam, fake Labor Department email and a new Android threat. Welcome to Cyber Security Today. It’s Friday May 1st. I’m Howard Solomon, contributing reporter on cybersecurity for ITWorldCanada.com. To hear the podcast click on the arrow below: Videoconference provider Zoom has toughened its security by making it mandatory for users to…

Email scam targets executives, NSA rates conferencing tools and get ready for COVID tracing apps Welcome to Cyber Security Today. It’s Monday May 4th. I’m Howard Solomon, contributing reporter on cybersecurity for ITWorldCanada.com. To hear the podcast, click on the arrow below: Senior executives of companies around the world should always be careful clicking on…

Canada hit by COVID cheque fraud; Webex, Teams under attack, more COVID email scams and three big data breaches Welcome to Cyber Security Today. It’s Friday May 8th. I’m Howard Solomon, contributing reporter on cybersecurity for ITWorldCanada.com. To hear the podcast click on the arrow below: It didn’t take long for cybercriminals to take advantage…

Members in Spain and Switzerland are developing software for FLIR cameras and building their own versions to protect people’s privacy

A newly released memo shows that Robert Mueller was given wide latitude to investigate Michael Flynn, whose prosecution the Justice Department is attempting to drop.

History has all but forgotten them.

Fighting continues to rage in English-speaking parts of Cameroon after most armed groups reject a truce.

The inquiry into the management of the ship’s arrival in Sydney in March has revealed a detailed timeline of who knew what and when

A special commission of inquiry has held five days of hearings into the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which has so far has been linked to 21 deaths and almost 700 cases of Covid-19 across Australia.

The inquiry, overseen by Bret Walker SC, had two days of hearings on 22 and 23 April, and then three days of hearings this week.

Former England stars John Terry and Jack Wilshere are among those sharing 'matchday selfies' to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy UK.

Tia has decided to work at a migrant camp in Calais instead of returning home to her family during lockdown.

The deadline for research scholars to submit their theses/dissertations has been extended to December 31

Emigration is a significant and growing phenomenon for Cambodia. Between 2000 and 2015, the number of Cambodians abroad increased by about 160%, from around half a million to 1.2 million people. The country would benefit from strengthening its whole-of-government approach to making migration an integral part of its overall development strategies.

Inside our contemporary moments, outside camping turns into a growing number of popular, especially amid the young folks. Journey slumber sack, tenting tent coupled with various...

Key questions for development planning today in countries include: Can developing countries strike a balance between economic growth, societal well-being and environmental protection? Can inclusive, green growth be a way forward? This report presents a case study on Cambodia designed to answer these questions.

The OECD has published a report on a pilot chemical classification exercise undertaken in 2013 and ‘14. Using a number of chemical assessments agreed in the OECD hazard assessment programme, reasons why classification proposals may differ were investigated. The report concludes on the main reasons for such differences, and recommends some measures to overcome some of them.

Those who disagree with Bannon are apt to see Trump’s presidency as inept and evil

Former head of UK Sport has set sights on winning the World Cup

Historic Royal Palaces has argued that the project will block protected views of the tower which is part of a system introduced in 1938 to also guard views of St Paul's vistas and the Palace of Westminster.

His compelling portrayal of a young man in an intense, awkward relationship is setting the screen alight in Normal People.

Addressed to 'Everyone at Royal Mail,' the letter from the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall commends their 'dedication, resilience and hard work'. Adding that many are relying on post to feel close to loved ones.

In a letter to Mr Johnson on Sunday, campaigners said only an independent inquiry could get the 'critical' answers needed to explain the 'outsized effect' Covid-19 was having on BAME communities.

Sir Reginald Sheffield, Samantha Cameron's father, was targeted in the grounds of Normanby Hall near Flixborough outside Scunthorpe, in an alleged tussle with a man accused of stealing his iPhone 8.

She's long been celebrated as one of the world's top supermodels, as she enters her fifth decade of working as one of fashion's most celebrated figures.

In an interview with Vogue on Thursday, the singer, 47, revealed the origins of the Union Jack dress she famously wore during the girl group at the 1997 Brit Awards.

Ahead of the 2020 F1 season, here's a look at what the racers would be driving if they had to pilot the best road cars made by their respective teams - and where they'd be on the grid.

Do you know your Gatso from your HADECS? Can you tell which are fixed smart motorways cameras and average speed monitors? Take our quiz and find out which ones you need to look out for.

Some 8.6m records of vehicles movements made by thousands of people that have been captured using 100 cameras around the city, were available to view on the internet.

Ruby, 27, told her Tinder matches she would meet them for a single date at Cafe Lounge for a live music gig at 7pm on Wednesday June 5.

The three British sporting stars have put their years of mixed success behind them to combine for a special video with a Star Wars theme, coinciding with the release of the new blockbuster film.

DALEY THOMPSON: Ennis-Hill would be among the five greatest British female athletes of all time and, had she not suffered a few injuries over the years, she could have been one of our best athletes in history.

Jessica Ennis-Hill was an absolute vision as she received a CBE by the Duke of Cambridge at London's Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.

Griff Rhys Jones needs to be on stage. 'I love, love, love being funny in front of an audience,' he says. 'I adore it.'

Simon Mayo reveals the secret of his and Mark Kermode's podcast success

Historic Royal Palaces has argued that the project will block protected views of the tower which is part of a system introduced in 1938 to also guard views of St Paul's vistas and the Palace of Westminster.

Addressed to 'Everyone at Royal Mail,' the letter from the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall commends their 'dedication, resilience and hard work'. Adding that many are relying on post to feel close to loved ones.

In a letter to Mr Johnson on Sunday, campaigners said only an independent inquiry could get the 'critical' answers needed to explain the 'outsized effect' Covid-19 was having on BAME communities.

WHEN CLIVE MET EDDIE: The man in charge of England's 2019 challenge meets the man he is striving to emulate ahead of England launching their World Cup in Sapporo next weekend.

CHRIS FOY IN MIYAZAKI: The head coach is satisfied that his Red Rose squad have acclimatised quickly since arriving here in the far south of the country on Tuesday evening.

Cameron Daddo relocated to Los Angeles in 1992 in pursuit of a Hollywood acting career. 

TALK OF THE TOWN: Lady Colin Campbell is planning to release a 'tell all' book about Harry and Meghan. She said it contains plenty of revelations which will remain secret for now.

His compelling portrayal of a young man in an intense, awkward relationship is setting the screen alight in Normal People.

Samantha Armytage has hit out at 'scammers' using her name on bogus adverts.