The prime minister named Muhammad Fakhar-e-Alam as the new secretary and fired Food Security Secretary Muhammad Asif with immediate effect.

Muhammad Fakhar-e-Alam’s appointment has also been announced by the Establishment Division.

After the premier learned of the incident involving the import of wheat, the following happened.

Startling information was disclosed in the first publications about the wheat import controversy.

It has been reported by sources that the first assessment blamed the federal institutions for importing wheat needlessly. A further 35.87 lakh metric tons were imported, inflicting an artificial shortage, despite Punjab’s 40.47 lakh metric tons of reserves already in place.

The Punjab Food Department and Pasco officials are suspected of being involved in the fraud, according to sources in the paper.

The inquiry has revealed that wheat was imported for between Rs 2600 and Rs 2900 per maund, and was then sold for Rs 4700 per maund more than the original cost.

One million metric tons of import authorization were authorized; however, sources stated that this amount was exceeded without restriction.

According to sources, several Ministry of Finance officials neglected to closely monitor the massive import of wheat, and federal institutions permitted private enterprises to import it without doing the necessary checks.

Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the department, stated, “We support efforts to stabilize its economy, including reaching an agreement with the IMF.”

He declared, “Our trade and investment ties, as well as our technical engagements, are all priorities of our bilateral relationship, and we will continue to engage with them through their economic success.”

it is important to note that an International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation will visit Pakistan this month to talk about a new “long-term and larger” loan package designed to assist the government in paying back billions of dollars in debt that is due this year.

Discussions on a new loan plan have been set between Pakistan and the foreign lender. There will be two stages to the meetings: technical discussions and policy-level conversations.

Prior to the upcoming negotiations, Pakistan must overcome formidable economic obstacles, including the collapse of an IMF-proposed tax amnesty program.

As part of the $3 billion standby arrangement, Pakistan recently got the much awaited $1.1 billion last payment from the IMF.

Special Drawing Rights (SDR) 828 million, or $1.1 billion in worth, were given to the SBP “after the successful completion of the second review by the Executive Board of IMF under Stand By Arrangement (SBA),” according to the SBP.

Pakistan is requesting a new, longer-term loan from the IMF, and according to Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Islamabad could get an agreement at the staff level  on the new program by early July.

The FIA’s cybercrime department in Islamabad has made an arrest of Muhammad Wasim Akram in connection with a significant operation. Akram is accused of having inappropriate children’s photos and videos on Tiktok and of spreading them online.

An investigation has been launched into Wasim Akram’s conduct of blackmailing the families of the youngsters by sharing the images with them.

The accused’s possession also included other offensive things and a cell phone.