In Watan Aziz, every time there’s an accident or tragedy, an inquiry committee is formed. These committees are given a specific timeframe one month three months or six months to investigate and report on the incident. They are supposed to determine how the accident happened assess the damage and identify the responsible parties. However, despite their findings nothing ever changes. The guilty parties whether officials or ministers are never punished. This pattern of inaction is deeply ingrained in our country’s history.
Take for example the events of 1971 when a significant part of the country was lost. A major committee was formed to investigate this, and it produced a comprehensive report, clearly identifying those responsible. Yet, no one was held accountable. This is the fate of every commission and committee formed in our nation.
Why is this the case? The answer is simple the powerful and influential people responsible for these tragedies are the ones who form these inquiry committees. They compile the reports only to discard them later. Corruption is rampant, and these influential people treat billions of rupees as if they are small change.
Consider the recent wheat crisis. Corruption amounting to 330 billion rupees has devastated the country. To put it into perspective, one billion rupees is equal to one hundred crore rupees and one crore is one hundred lakh rupees. For the poor the value of one lakh rupees is immense. So imagine the impact of losing more than three hundred billion rupees.
To secure a loan of 1.5 billion dollars from the IMF we mortgaged the entire country. Yet, we sent out 2 billion dollars in precious foreign exchange to satisfy the greed of a few. This crisis has left farmers destitute and their dreams shattered. The official price of wheat is set at 49 rupees per maund but the government especially in Punjab and Sindh is not willing to buy wheat from the farmers.
Farmers often take loans for sowing because they lack money. When it’s time to repay these loans by selling their wheat they find themselves forced to sell it at a loss. Wheat that should sell for 3,900 rupees per maund is now being sold for 3,250 rupees per maund. This loss of 1,000 to 1,500 rupees per maund is unbearable for farmers.
Adding to their woes there were 4.6 million tonnes of wheat in government warehouses enough to meet the country’s needs. However in October 2023 he decision was made to import wheat from Ukraine. So far, 3.4 million tons of wheat have been imported at 3,100 rupees per maund while it’s sold at 4,500 rupees per maund domestically. This manipulation earned a few influential people an illegal profit of 85 billion rupees causing the national treasury to lose over one billion dollars.
This corruption caused inflation and affected the entire country. Next year, farmers may avoid planting wheat and switch to other cash crops fearing similar exploitation. This could lead to a wheat shortage forcing the government to import more wheat using valuable foreign exchange.
Currently farmers are protesting but the government remains unmoved. The Punjab government should address the farmers’ plight. If they cannot buy the wheat due to storage issues, they should find alternative solutions to support the farmers.
In summary the corruption and negligence in Watan Aziz have left farmers in dire straits. Despite their protests their voices remain unheard and their problems unresolved. This ongoing crisis requires immediate and sincere attention from the authorities to ensure a better future for the farmers and the nation.