Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz Wednesday said the government was striving hard to control the inflation and stable prices of the essential commodities.

Addressing the news conference along with Minister for National Food Security and Research Syed Fakhar Imam in Islamabad, he said Prime Minister Imran Khan wants to bring down prices of the basic food items in the best interest of the general public.

The Information Minister said there are several reasons of price hike and one of them is hoarding, to create a shortage of the basic items in the market.

He said the government is committed to exposing the hoarders and no stone will be left unturned in this regard.

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Syed Fakhar Imam said the government is determined to ensure the provision of wheat in the country. He said the government has decided to import wheat, which will help stabilize the price of flour.

He said we are making a comprehensive planning with regard to the wheat.

The Federal Minister said special attention is also being paid to the agriculture sector in the best interest of the country.

Fakhar Imam said the hoarders hoarded the wheat and flour in wake of increase in wheat price in the world market and started creating crisis a few months ago.

He said it is the responsibility of the provincial governments to take action against these elements. He said there was a huge discrepancy in Pakistan and world wheat prices and the hoarders took advantage of it as they sold the wheat for RS1800 per 40kg a few days after buying it Rs1400 per 40kg.

He said these hoarders would be exposed in the meantime and if he knew who is behind this crisis he would have surely revealed their identity.

Faraz lashes out at Nawaz, PPP

Responding to a question, the Information Minister said the government is desirous of bringing prosperity in the lives of people and is fully committed to his end.

Faraz said the Sindh government was responsible for the plight of Karachiites after recent rains but it was blaming the federal government to cover up its own incompetence and inefficiency.

The PPP, which has been ruling Sindh for the past over one decade, was responsible for the sorry state of affairs of Karachi, he added.

He said they claimed to transform Larkana into Karachi, but they converted Karachi into Larkana. They were given over Rs 14 trillion by the federal government during the past ten years but they spent nothing for the alleviation of poverty and improvement of health and education facilities in the province, he added.

He said that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, instead of taking steps to save Karachi people from the deluge, were just blaming the federal government. One could judge the situation of rural Sindh by the plight of the people of urban areas, he added.

Shibli Faraz said that the performance of the opposition parties in the Parliament was before the nation as they gave priority to self-interest over national interest by voting against FATF legislation.

To a question, he said that PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif had been given permission to go abroad for medical treatment but he made a mockery of the law and indulged in political activities, rather than getting treatment. He said that the government would avail all legal options to bring Nawaz Sharif back to face the law of the land.

He said that the opposition parties were united only on the issue of protecting plundered national wealth, otherwise they had different agendas. 

He said the meeting between Shahbaz Sharif and Fazlur Rehman ended in a fiasco and Bilawal and Shahbaz were divergent on many issues.

He said the opposition was trying to instigate the people against the incumbent government but they would fail in their nefarious designs.