Daily Times

The party keeps on growing, getting bigger and bigger. This whole sugar business that has commanded the news cycle for over a year does not seem to go away anytime soon. First, there was a ruckus over the now-estranged prime architect of the ruling party–Jahangir Tareen–finding his JWD group under FIA’s radar. Tightening the noose around the neck of such a powerful man is no easy feat. Ergo, the investigative agency should be commended for taking a gutsy move of initiating legal proceedings against the Tareen family.

The chorus continued with the man at the centre of the storm lashing out at “totally fabricated accusations” and “smear campaign” against him. He has not wavered even once from his message: he is being politically victimised for making the party as it stands today. With the new strand of the “satta” scandal, the PM’s Special Assistant (Interior and Accountability) Shahzad Akbar has now jumped to the foray. Contrary to allegations made by the estranged Tareen, he stands by the investigation being carried out impartially sans any person-specific vendetta. In the past year, the sugar baron has taken his sweet time lambasting the political agendas orchestrating the inquiry committee. He hasn’t held back any punches in taking names (PM’s Principal Secretary Azam Khan and Shehbaz Gill) in a constant round of counter-allegations. Unsurprisingly, he always maintained being a well-wisher of PM Khan, come what may. It would have been catastrophically foolish of him to strike a wrong chord with the man behind the wheel.

All his innocence pleas aside, a handful of mill owners pocketing billions of rupees worth of subsidies, tax evasion, deceptive marketing and auditing cannot be allowed to run away with their circus. The shady manner in which they conduct their business comes at a huge cost to both the national exchequer and unsuspecting customers. Going by the so far 424 frozen bank accounts of sugar Satta players with deposits to the tune of Rs 70 billion, the plot would probably thicken in the coming days.

This is not to make light of politics influencing the accountability process in Pakistan. Notwithstanding the sticky pitch anti-graft bodies have always played on, a bureaucrat like Azam Khan is unlikely to take a position diametrically opposed to such a top-notch political player. There must have been something far sinister at play.

After all, the infamous cartel breaking out in full public view has not only named Tareen. Apart from the Sharifs, notable millers said to have profited from the crisis include Monis Elahi, Khusro Bakhtyar’s brother and Hashim Bakht. How can Tareen’s nine mills be audited to produce an effect on the remaining 80 or so mills spread throughout South Punjab? Surely, the investigation would have benefitted more from focusing on the bigwigs (owned by strong political-influence-yielding families) with most exports and availed subsidies. Is Tareen, thereby, simply paying the price of falling out of favours with the powers that be? Call it a consequence of factional politics or the hanging of the petty thieves (as per Greek fabulist Aesop), the bittersweet crisis needs to be unfolded fully. Mere lip service won’t do. Mere lip service can’t do! *