Karachi, Sep.23 (ANI): Senior Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Raza Rabbani has blamed the former President Shaukat Aziz’s regime for the birth of hoarding mafia in the country.

Interacting with party workers during an Eid Milan party here, Rabbani said ‘peoples’ rule’ will wipe of the hoarding mafia if they continue their nefarious business.

“The democratic government can handle the hoarders and it wants to solve the problems faced by the public,” The News quoted Rabbani, as saying.

Commenting on the ongoing conflict between the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Rabbani said his party was being deliberately targeted by certain quarters.

“PPP is a party of poor and labourers, but conspiracies are being hatched against the present government,” he said.

It is worth mentioning here that sugar prices in Pakistan have sky rocketed in the recent past creating particularly because of massive black marketing and hoarding.

The prime reason behind the sudden steep rise in the price of one of the most important daily commodity is a calculated strategy chalked out by major players of the sugar industry with help from important government personalities.

The sugar mafia in the country has undermined orders from the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and has manipulated decision-making at the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to achieve the mischievous target of increasing the sugar prices.

The command with which this mafia works can be gauged from the fact that ECC’s order to release sugar at a controlled price of 38 rupees per kilogram through ration stores and utility shops is yet to be implemented.

This is not the first time that sugar prices have reached sky high in Pakistan. During former President General Musharraf’s regime sugar prices had touched the then peak of 35 rupees per kilogram.

A probe was ordered against the political big wigs close to the Musharraf government at that time. However, charges were dropped later on Musharraf’s personal request.

Observers believe that the current scam would also subside with time forcing Pakistanis to spend much more during the festive season. (ANI)