40,000t wheat supplied by Russia to Pakistan stolen by govt officials

New Delhi: As many as 67 senior government officials in Pakistan have been suspended and issued show-cause notices for allegedly stealing wheat worth billions of rupees supplied by Russia as a humanitarian gesture, people familiar with the development said.

Almost 40,392 tonnes of wheat have been stolen from government warehouses located across 10 districts in Sindh province, allegedly with the connivance of Sindh food department staff, according to Pakistani media reports.

Russia had earlier this month supplied 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Pakistan, which is facing a food shortage that even led to protests in recent weeks, as a humanitarian gesture to help address the crisis. Moscow plans to supply 450,000 tonnes of wheat to Pakistan through nine cargo ships, according to Pakistani officials.

The officers who have been suspended for their alleged involvement in the embezzlement include 49 food supervisors and 18 food inspectors, according to The News newspaper.

The wheat was stolen from the warehouses located in Dadu, Larkana, Shaheed Benazirabad, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Jacobabad, Khairpur, Sukkur, Ghotki, Sanghar and Mirpurkhas districts, it said.

According to a report in The Dawn, wheat supply from Russia would complete by March 31.