HYDERABAD: Sindh Minister for Information Sharjeel Inam Memon has said that he will look into why the wheat procured at Rs58 per kg in 2021-22 season has been released to flourmills and chakkis at Rs85 per kg this year, which has in reality contributed to price hike.

The government would take action against hoarders as reportedly some elements had started purchasing wheat for Rs4,200 per 40kg instead of Rs4,000 support price fixed by the government, he said at a press conference at his residence on Thursday.

He said that food minister himself had ordered conducting raids on millers following reports of wheat hoarding by them. The government would set up Bachat bazaars in cities to ensure sale of essential commodities at conces-sional rates, he said.

About former prime minister Imran Khan, Memon said that any concession to Imran Khan by institutions would not benefit the country. Imran was pursuing agenda of the countries which did not want to see a strong Pakistan, hence Imran was whipping up anarchy according to a `foreign script`, he said.

He said the Sindh government realised peoples` financial miseries and it was struggling to keep prices of commodities under control in order to offer relief to inflation-ridden masses. Prices would be controlled with the help of government machinery, he said.

He said the present coalition government inherited price hike and inflation from Imran Khan`s failed government. People were confronting price hike today because of Imran Khan government`s harmful agreements with International Monetary Fund, he said.He said that PTI`s social media teams were operating from foreign soil to troll different institutions and personalities and specially misleading youth. Imran Khan was a pampered boy of institutions whom he was targeting today. `You were earlier a test-tube baby of institutions, said the minister.

He recalled that courts were opened for the `Ladla` at lam midnight and on Sundays.

PPP had never attacked institutions nor ransacked courts.

Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif bought cars from Toshakhana but made payments for them and Zardari was still using that car unlike Imran Khan who sold his expensive watch, he said.

He said that former premier sold both buffaloes of the Prime Minister House and his watch. In fact, Imran Khan had been convicted technically by ECP in foreign funding case, he said.He said the PTI chief was granted a stay in BRT inquiry by Supreme Court in which a technical team of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa`s chief minister proved Rs7bn kickbacks. It was double standard of the judiciary and such favour was not given to others. Zardari and PPP leaders, including himself, also faced courts but were never given stay orders like Imran Khan, he said.

He said that a PPP leader was not allowed to contest 2018 polls for failing to show a family member in nomination form but when it came to Imran Khan the court ruled it was Khan`s personal matter. Imran Khan had been given `remission` in every matter.

He said that Sindh chief minister was checking prices personally. Sindh chief secretary was asked to keep check on prices of food items. Early wheat procurement was being done in February unlike pastpractice of March, he said.

Wheat`s support price increased to Rs4,000 this season from Rs2,200 per 40kg to encourage farmers to go for massive wheat sowing and grain should not have been imported like previously done.

He, however, did not answer a question as to why no action in food ministry was taken which failed to ensure procurement target of 1.4m tonnes in past years and why millers were not taken to task who did not utilise the government`s wheat quota to provide subsidised flour.

He said the Sindh government had ensured the census was carried out transparently and it had approached in this regard federal government too. Proper head count must be ensured so that no segment of society had any complaint. The government would pay 2.2m people Rs300,000 for the reconstruction oftheirhouses,he said.