JamaateIslami Sindh Amir Kashif Saeed Sheikh has alleged that the government deliberately created artificial shortages of essential commodities like fertilizer, wheat, and sugar to loot public resources.
Sheikh accused the Shehbaz government of inflicting billions of rupees in losses to the national treasury and burdening the public through manipulation in sugar imports and exports, linking the recent sugar price hike to this.
He pointed to the government’s October decision stating that sugar supply would be halted if the retail price exceeded Rs145.15 per kilogram. However, he claimed that exports continued from December 2024 to February 2025 while prices continuously increased. He also criticized the federal government’s recent move to import 500,000 metric tons of sugar, alleging it was another tactic to benefit themselves with public money.
He questioned how citizens could trust those holding public offices to prioritize the nation’s welfare over their own. Sheikh said Pakistan was ruled by a powerful group that renders laws ineffective. He identified PPP Cochairman Asif Ali Zardari and the Omni Group as controlling the sugar industry in Sindh, while prominent families like the Sharif family, the Chaudhry family of Gujrat, former federal minister Humayun Akhtar Khan, his brother Senator Haroon Akhtar, Jahangir Tareen, Zakka Ashraf, Sardar Nasrullah Dareshak, and Makhdoom Ahmed Mehmood dominate the industry in Punjab. He accused these individuals and groups of prioritizing personal gain over national service.
Sheikh accused the “sugar cartel” of hoarding sugar to increase prices and earn exorbitant profits. He criticized the lack of any government plan to regulate food prices and attributed the rising sugar prices to government incompetence, flawed strategies, and collusion with the “sugar cartel.” He said this “cartel” creates artificial shortages for financial gain while the administration remains a silent spectator. He condemned the government’s decision to first export 500,000 tons of sugar, citing a surplus, and then depleting the national treasury further by importing sugar at expensive rates.
Sheikh demanded accountability in sugar import and export decisions. He called for immediate action against the “sugar cartel” and demanded that those involved in hoarding be brought to justice. He demanded a complete ban on sugar exports until domestic needs are met and market prices stabilize.