Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Accountability, Barrister Shahzad Akbar said former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi gave Rs20 billion subsidy to the ‘sugar mafia’ during his tenure.
Addressing a press conference in the federal capital, the PM ‘s assistant said that the report of the inquiry commission is an accusation against the former prime minister as a total Rs29bn subsidy has been provided to sugar mills over the past five years, with only Rs2.4bn provided by the incumbent Punjab administration.
Terming it an illegal act, he said in March 2017 it was given permission to export 400,000 tons of sugar. “Abbasi had given subsidies worth Rs20bn. Abbasi found himself Laiq-e-Azam [the most capable person], “he added, adding that the chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) at the time was head of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC).
According to Akbar, PM Imran will be briefed next week to direct the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and other departments concerned to file a complaint in court in the light of the commission’s report.
Extracted from City42 News
