Punjab accuses Centre of supporting top millers

[Naveed Yaseen]

ISLAMABAD (August 21 2009): The Punjab government has accused the Federal government of supporting sugar barons in fixing sugar prices which, so claims the provincial government, has effectively led to the Centre allegedly sabotaging its plan to reduce sugar price to provide relief to consumers.

According to sources in Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), the Punjab government has taken up the issue with Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, and urged him to conduct an inquiry against Federal Minister for Industry Mian Manzoor Wattoo, who played a critical role in striking a deal benefiting the sugar millers over and above the general public.

Analysts maintain that even Rs 40 per kilogram would have guaranteed healthy profits for the sugar mill owners, but Federal Minister for Industries Manzoor Wattoo joined hands with sugar millers in fixing ex-mill price. The PML (N) leadership owns 11 sugar mills. The Nawaz Sharif family tops the list and owns nine sugar mills.

When this correspondent queried the intent of the Punjab government in apprehending hoarders, a spokesman for the party stated that the Punjab government took action without any discrimination to reduce the sugar prices. The former ruling party of Punjab PML (Q) and its leadership own nine sugar mills. The Chaudhry family owns four sugar mills, former federal minister of industries and production Jahangir Khan Tareen owns two mills.

The total number of such mills comes to 20, out of the total 41 sugar mills in Punjab. According to sources, most of the sugar mills of the PPP leadership are owned by President Asif Ali Zardari, mainly in Sindh, where the total number of sugar mills stood at 28. Former minister Abbas Sarfaraz was the owner of five out of six sugar mills in the NWFP.

As many as 53 sugar mills are owned by businessmen across the country. The mills owned by Nawaz family are Abdullah Sugar Mills, Brother Sugar Mills, Channar Sugar Mills, Chaudhry Sugar Mills, Haseeb Waqas Sugar Mills, Ittefaq Sugar Mills, Kashmir Sugar Mills, Ramzan Sugar Mills and Yousaf Sugar Mills. Kamalia Sugar Mills and Layyah Sugar Mills are the two other units owned by PML (N) leaders.

Nine sugar mills, owned by PML (Q) leaders, are Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi's CSK Phalia Sugar Mills, Dareshak's Indus Sugar Mills, Jahangir Khan Tareen's JDW Sugar Mills and United Sugar Mills, Anwar Cheema's National Sugar Mills, Chaudhry family's Pahrianwali Sugar Mills, Chaudhary Shujaat's Punjab Sugar Mills, Haroon Khan's Tandianwala Sugar Mills. Pattoki sugar mills, owned by Mian Mohammad Azhar, is also included in the list of mills owned by former ruling PML (Q).

ZTBL President Zaka Ashraf owns sugar mills and he is the former leader of Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA). The sugar mills, either owned by the ruling, opposition and business circles, are united under the umbrella of the PSMA, which has the strength of around 75 mills. The PSMA, according to the official, always takes unanimous decisions on all matters relating to sugar.

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