06 May 2004	Thursday	15 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

ISLAMABAD, May 5: People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) leaders have demanded parliamentary probe into the "wheat scandal" and held the Jamali government responsible for the shortage of the commodity in the country.

Speaking at a news conference here on Wednesday, Syed Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rahman, Rukhsana Bangash and Fauzia Habib said the country was facing wheat crisis due to "administrative corruption" of the government.

They said Australian wheat, rejected by the government, was being utilized in the United Arab Emirates where laws were more strict. They said a parliamentary committee should be formed to look into the matter and expose those responsible for the present crisis. They said cases should be registered against the responsible persons on the basis of the report of the committee.

Mr Qamar said the World Bank and the IMF would be happy with Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz but he had put the people of this country in a deep economic crisis. He said wheat and flour had been made a rare commodity for the poor by creating an artificial shortage.

The PPP parliamentarians criticized the government for increasing prices of the petroleum products. Mr Qamar suggested that instead of 15 days, the prices should be reviewed after every six months. He challenged the figures being presented by the government regarding the economic situation in the country.

They said the wheat crisis had particularly deepened in Sindh and the NWFP. They alleged that the ruling party members were involved in hoarding of wheat.

The PPP leaders said actually the treasury members had started collecting money for the next general elections through hoarding of wheat. They also held the government responsible for the recent crisis faced by the poultry industry.