ISLAMABAD, May 10: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday said 20 sugar mills, a majority of them owned by sitting ministers and some influential elites, were involved in the ongoing sugar crisis.

Member PAC Syed Qurban Ali, MNA, said a total of 78 mills were operating in the country. Out of the 20 mainly responsible for the sugar crisis a majority belonged to the ruling party ministers and other people associated with the government.

The committee announced the names of the mills at a meeting presided over by PAC chairman Malik Allah Yar Khan.

They are: Fatima Sugar Mills, Hamza Sugar Mills, JDW Sugar Mills (owned by minister for industries and production Jehangir Tareen); Koh-i-Noor Sugar Mills, Liyya Sugar Mills, Madina Enterprises Sugar Mills, Non Sugar Mills, Patoki Sugar Mills Shah Sugar Mills, Tandiyawala Sugar Mills, Al-Abbas Sugar Mills, Al- Noor Sugar Mills, Dewan Sugar Mills, Dewan Koski, Meeran Sugar Mills, Mirpur Khas Sugar Mills, Shah Murad Sugar Mills and Tandu Mohammad Khan Sugar Mills.

Statistics of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) for the period up to February 28, 2006, showed that Ashraf Sugar Mills owned by PSMA chief Zaka Ashraf released 14.9 per cent of about 24,000 tons of total sugar production.

Brother Sugar mills of Chaudhry family released only 11.28 per cent of its 31,400 tons production, while Chaudhry Sugar Mills of Sharif family released about 18.2 per cent of their 35,000 tons of production. Punjab Sugar Mills of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) president released slightly over 34 per cent of its total production, while Ramzan Sugar Mills of Shahbaz Sharif released 27 per cent of its total production.

C.S.K (Phalia) of the Punjab chief minister was among the top few mills in Punjab that released more than 50 per cent of total production, while his other mill (Pahrianwali) released about 100 per cent of its production.

Hamza Sugar Mills of Sharif family released about 22 per cent its 111,850 tons, while Ittefaq Sugar Mills of the same family released less than 18 per cent of its 26,600 tons.

JDW Mills owned by federal industries minister Jehangir Tareen released about 54 per cent of its 105,000 tons production. United Sugar Mills, also owned by Mr Tareen, released 51 per cent of 35,570 tons production.

Kamalia Sugar Mills of federal commerce minister Humayun Akhtar released about 20 per cent of its 49,000 tons production. Tandlianwala Sugar Mills, which also belongs to the same minister, released about 50 per cent of its 62,000 tons production.

The PSMA for the first time reported 45,500 tons of production by commerce minister’s Tandliawala-II (Miran) Mills which released less than 22 per cent to the market.

Similarly, Pattoki Sugar Mills of former Punjab governor Mian Azhar released about 38.4 per cent of its production.

Chanar Sugar Mills released only 14.3 per cent, Fecto Sugar released 24 per cent, G. Sumundri released 26 per cent, Hunza 28 per cent, H. Waqas 38 per cent, Hussein 32.5 per cent, Kashmir 20 per cent and Bannu 27 per cent.