Dr Murtaza Mughal, President of Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW), said on Friday that leading politicians from different political parties are trading accusations on the sugar crisis, which has engulfed the whole country. He said this blame game is a fixed match as all the stakeholders have benefited from the problem in which the poor masses lost billions of rupees. Now, he added that the rhetoric is being used to deceive the public, which is insufficient to convince the masses struggling amid runaway inflation.

Dr Murtaza Mughal said today that, like all the country’s mafia, the sugar mafia also enjoys influence in the corridors of power.

They have agents in political, bureaucratic, and all other important circles, and if any action is ever taken against them, they get immediate relief.

For many decades, the statements of controlling the sugar mafia have been made frequently. Still, he observed that these rhetorical politicians allow them to skin masses in which bureaucratic and other institutions fully cooperate with the mafia.

In every crisis, billions of rupees are extracted from the people’s pockets and distributed among white-collar criminals.

He recalled that in 2021, the Competition Commission of Pakistan raided the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) office, seized the records, conducted a detailed investigation, and imposed a fine of Rs 44 billion. The penalty was not received today because the courts issued a stay order.

This type of delay has negative effects on the economy and the public while encouraging cartels, he said, adding that the strict measures taken by the army chief are commendable, due to which the price of sugar has come down.

Now sugar is available at 190 rupees per kg in Lahore and 220 rupees per kg in Quetta. He said that sugar mill owners and other hoarders have hidden millions of tonnes of sugar in different parts of the country, which, if released, will restore its previous price.