The surge in sugar prices, exceeding Rs200 per kilogram, has triggered a contentious exchange between two former coalition partners, PML-N and PPP. Former federal minister and Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal while speaking on a private TV program blamed the Pakistan Peoples Party for sugar exports.
Alleging that the current crisis resulted from the decision to allow sugar exports during their tenure in the PDM coalition government, Ahsan Iqbal stated that the permission for sugar exports was granted by the Ministry of Commerce, led by PPP’s Naveed Qamar.
In response, PPP’s Sindh General Secretary, Senator Waqar Mehdi, argued that critical economic policy decisions during the coalition government were primarily made by authorities affiliated with the PML-N. He pointed out that the PML-N held pivotal ministries, including finance, planning and development, and petroleum, and therefore should accept the responsibility for addressing issues related to inflation and soaring sugar prices.
The noteworthy surge in sugar prices, exceeding Rs200 per kilogram in certain regions, can be attributed to rampant sugar smuggling to Afghanistan through land routes in Balochistan and KP, along with successive increases in petroleum prices, which have amplified transportation costs. In Quetta, sugar is being sold at 230 rupees per kilogram, and a bag of 50 kilograms of sugar has now reached 10,500 rupees after an increase of 1,100 rupees.
