KARACHI: The Sindh High Court was informed on Friday that the divisional and district administration of Karachi were taking action against profiteering and hoarding and had imposed a fine of around Rs4.9 million since January.

A compliance report filed on behalf of the Karachi commissioner maintained that the commissioner’s office had requested the bureau of supply and prices to conduct a detailed survey to determine the market prices of meat, grocery items and milk while current rates of grocery items had also been called from other stakeholders.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar was hearing a petition seeking enforcement of laws pertaining to control of hoarding and black marketing of essential commodities in the province.

In the last hearing, it had directed the authorities to constitute a task force in every district under the supervision of deputy commissioners to curb the menace of profiteering, black marketing and hoarding of essential commodities in the province.

The bench had called reports from all the commissioners in Sindh regarding efforts being made by them to control profiteering and hoarding of essential commodities in their respective territories.

When the matter came up for hearing on Friday, an assistant commissioner filed a compliance report and para-wise comments on behalf of the Karachi commissioner.

A daily price list of vegetables, fruit, chicken and eggs is published by commissioner’s office on digital platforms

It was stated in the compliance report that divisional and district administration of Karachi had imposed Rs4,892,700 fines against profiteering and hoarding from Jan 1 to April 20.

During a crackdown, the city administration had also recovered 593,630 masks and other medical items. However, it added that the price fixing of masks, sanitizers and medicines was the responsibility of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap).

The report further said that market committee in Karachi and representatives of the bureau of supply and prices provided the rates of vegetables and fruit and the Pakistan Poultry Association used to provide the rates of chicken and eggs to the commissioner’s office on a daily basis. Thereafter, the office finalised retail rates and final rates and published the price list daily on digital platforms.

The bench adjourned the matter till May 7 after the petitioner sought time to go through the compliance report and comments and to file some documents.

Petitioner Advocate Tariq Mansoor submitted that under the Hoarding and Black Market Act, 1948 the federal government should appoint special judges to hold trial of the violators of the law, but such appointments were never made.

He further pointed out that the provincial authorities had also failed to implement the Sindh Essential Commodities Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act, 2005 and the Sindh Registration of Godowns Act 2005 in letter and spirit while the commissioner was authorised to take cognizance under the Karachi Essential Articles (Price Control and Anti-Hoarding) Act 1953, but it was also not being put into practice.

Comments filed on plea about Dr Aafia release

The federal authorities on Friday filed comments before the same bench of the SHC on a petition seeking directives to make efforts for the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui and other prisoners confined in overseas prisons.

The comments filed by a deputy attorney general on behalf of the ministry of foreign affairs said that the ministry had raised concerns with the US government regarding human rights and well-being of Dr Aafia on numerous occasions and allegations of maltreatment by prison staff were also communicated through diplomatic channels. US authorities also investigated the same and changed some local prison staff.

A mercy petition duly signed by Dr Aafia for consideration by the US president was also submitted in March 2020 to the prison authorities in Texas, it added.

It further submitted that the mother of the petitioner had been regularly updated about the well-being of the captive by the ministry and consul general of Pakistan in Houston, adding that regarding communication of Dr Aafia with her family, she did not want to take any call and due to Covid-19 pandemic, physical visits for consular access to Dr Aafia had also been suspended.

Pakistan’s consul general in Houston had been instructed by the ministry to seek updates about the prisoner on a daily basis, it concluded.

While putting off the matter till May 5, the bench took the comments on record and also provided a copy to the petitioner.

Fauzia Siddiqui, a sister of Dr Aafia, moved the SHC and submitted that Dr Aafia was currently confined in Carswell Prison, Texas, USA.

She submitted that according to international media, there were reports of outbreak of coronavirus pandemic in the American prisons and the petitioner sent a letter to the foreign secretary in which she complained that she had no telephone contact with her confined sister for the past three years.

Covid-19 safety measures in courts

The SHC on Friday also called comments from the provincial health department regarding safety arrangements on the premises of courts in view of Covid-19 pandemic.

A set of petitions were filed against inadequate safety arrangements in courts particularly in the lower judiciary of the province.

At the outset, lawyers for the Sindh Bar Council sought time to file a reply while the additional advocate general also requested for time to file comments.

One of the petitioners sought directive for the provincial authorities to make some arrangements including installing sanitizer gates on the premises of courts and testing facility for Covid-19.

The bench also directed the additional secretary (health) to be in attendance on April 29.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2020