ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was informed on Tuesday that President Asif Ali Zardari, businessman-politician Jahangir Tareen, and the Sharif family are the top three owners of sugar mills in Pakistan.
The revelation came during a PAC meeting chaired by Junaid Akbar Khan at the Parliament House. While briefing the committee on the sugar crisis, the Secretary of Industries said that regulation of the sugar industry falls under the jurisdiction of provincial governments and that representatives of the sugar sector are included in the Sugar Advisory Board.
It was disclosed that in 2016-17, a subsidy of Rs 10.07 per kilogram was granted on sugar exports. The secretary further stated that the current ex-mill price of sugar is Rs 173 per kilogram, but it is being sold to consumers at Rs 210 per kilogram.
PAC Chairman Junaid Akbar Khan expressed outrage, stating, “The people of Pakistan are being burdened for the benefit of just 42 sugar mills.” He pressed officials to share the list of mill owners.
Committee member Riaz Fatiana referred to a former sugarcane commissioner’s claim that Rs 287 billion worth of fraud had been committed against the public in the sugar sector—an allegation that was never officially denied, but the commissioner was removed from his position. He accused the “sugar mafia” of influencing the government and neglecting public welfare.
The committee expressed strong dissatisfaction over the delay in disclosing the names of sugar mill owners. In response, the Secretary of Food Security said that while they had records of the mills themselves, the names of their owners were not available with the ministry.
Chairman Junaid Akbar warned that failure to provide the names would lead to a privilege motion being submitted in Parliament. Subsequently, the Ministry of Industries and Production submitted a list of directors of sugar mills, as well as details of mills involved in import and export.
The committee was told that the highest volume of sugar exports—494,000 tonnes—was to Afghanistan, with Jahangir Tareen’s JDW Sugar Mills being the leading exporter. Members criticized the fact that sugar was exported at Rs 117 per kilogram and later re-imported at Rs 170 per kilogram, calling it a massive loss to the national exchequer.
They questioned why such practices continue when those owning sugar mills are in positions of power. Committee member Dr. Moin Pirzada alleged that both the President and Prime Minister were complicit in exploiting the public and that the root of the crisis lies in the Sugar Advisory Board.
In a sharp rebuke, members stated that the Zardari family, Jahangir Tareen, and the Sharif family rank as the top three sugar mill owners in the country and are deeply entrenched in both politics and business, which they claim is fueling corruption and price manipulation in the sugar sector.
