PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday ordered the administration of Peshawar district to check ‘artificial’ hike of the prices of essential commodities in the current month of fasting and take strict action against profiteers.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Syed Arshad Ali directed divisional commissioner of Peshawar Riaz Mehsud and other relevant officials of the administration to produce a report about progress on the matter during hearing today (Wednesday).

The chief justice observed that it was unfortunate that no sooner had the month of Ramazan began than the sellers of essential commodities began fleecing the people by arbitrarily increasing their prices.

He added that the price of beef had surged to Rs800 per kg, which was unaffordable for the common man.

Seeks progress report about it today

The court took notice of the matter while hearing other cases and summoned administrative officers.

Advocate general Shumail Ahmad Butt, Peshawar commissioner Riaz Mehsud, provincial food secretary retired Captain Mushtaq, additional deputy commissioner of Peshawar Dr Ahteshamul Haq and other officials turned up before the bench.

The chief justice observed that the artificial price hike and hoarding had made the people’s life miserable but the administration’s crackdown on it was largely seen in reports only.

The bench asked the commissioner about the steps taken to check the artificial price hike and provide relief to the people.

The advocate general and commissioner informed the bench that the district administration held a meeting with the chief minister and chief secretary the other day wherein it was decided that an unprecedented subsidy of Rs2.5 billion would be given to the people on wheat flour leading to the sale of its 20kg bag at Rs800 and that of 10kg at Rs400.

Riaz Mehsud said around 320 FIRs were registered during the last couple of days in Peshawar against the people, who arbitrarily increased prices of essential

goods and hoarded them, while fine to the tune of Rs2 million was also imposed on them.

He said that a warning was issued to 3,000 people and 7,000 shops were sealed over the violation of the relevant laws.

The bench observed that profiteers wouldn’t mend their ways through the mere imposition of small fines as they recover the amount from the people and therefore, strict actions needed to be taken against them, including the closure of their businesses for a longer time.

It asked the district administration to deal with such ‘unscrupulous elements’ strictly to prevent them from carrying out such practices in future.

The advocate general said that in other parts of the world, subsidies were given during the month of Ramazan, while special discount packages were announced during the festivals of Christmas and Easter, but the situation was altogether different in Pakistan as shopkeepers charged customers exorbitant rates for essential commodities on such occasions.

The chief justice observed that it was a sorry state of affairs, so the government should take effective corrective measures.

The bench also observed that the government should check the smuggling of essential items to prevent their shortages on the local market.

It decided to hear the matter again today (Wednesday) and asked the relevant officials of the district administration to update it about progress on the profiteering crackdown.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2022