ISLAMABAD: Failing to control constant increase in prices of food items and other essential consumer goods, especially sugar, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Friday directed authorities concerned to strictly curb smuggling of sugar, petroleum products, urea, agricultural products and other items of daily use.

Presiding over a meeting to discuss steps to curb smuggling of food and other items of daily use, the prime minister was apprised of the situation of smuggling of different food and other daily-use goods across the country, especially in border areas, and steps being taken for stopping the menace of smuggling.

The meeting was informed that 10 additional check posts of law enforcement agencies will be set up to curb smuggling of essential commodities in Balochistan.

The prime minister instructed officials concerned that an inter-agency report should be prepared about officers involved in smuggling of food and other items in the province.

Seeks report on officers involved in smuggling in Balochistan

The prime minister said that the smuggling of petroleum products was reducing revenue and putting pressure on the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

He said he would chair a weekly meeting to review the performance of institutions to curb smuggling in the country.

Mr Kakar also ordered that border markets with Iran should be made more viable so that trade with Iran could be done with proper documents.

A market survey revealed that prices of sugar were increasing by every passing day and last week the commodity was Rs160 per kg, but on Friday it was selling at Rs170 per kg.

Contrary to government’s claims about steps being taken regularly to control prices of essential commodities, prices of almost all commodities of daily use are rising unchecked, especially sugar.

“Today a sugar dealer informed me that from Saturday the new price of sugar will be Rs220 per kg,” an owner of a shop at Karachi Company Wholesale Market, told Dawn on Friday.

According to a data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), food inflation remained stood at 38.5 per cent year-on-year, but sugar price went up by 70.64 per cent in the last one year.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2023