THIS is with reference to the report ‘Economic Coordination Committee allows 0.2m tonnes of sugar export’ (Sept 15). Held under the chairmanship of the federal minister for finance, a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has allowed sugar mills to export 200,000 tonnes of sugar despite the bad precedence set by similar decisions taken in the past. The influential sugar mafia has clearly won once again. In the aftermath of the decision, events are likely to follow the familiar pattern.

Once the sugar is exported, there will be shortage of the commodity in the market. It will be a good pretext to raise the price and fleece the public. Following this, there will be the usual outcry from the public and some political party may announce protest sit-ins.

To assuage the rising public anger, the government would step in and grant permission for the immediate import of sugar to improve the supply position and to bring down the prices. Government sources would solemnly affirm that the imported supply is being arranged in the best interest of the public. However, the commodity being pricier in the internat-ional market, domestic sugar prices would stay put.

It is regrettable that no relevant plat-form in the country, including the main-stream national media, chose to give due coverage to the controversial ECC decision. All that the media did was to carry the official announcement. Public trust in governance has been on a slide for some time, and decisions like these are bound to intensify such sentiments.

Shaista Anwar Kirmani
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2026