PESHAWAR: A resident of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s capital has moved the Peshawar High Court against the “price hike and hoarding” of essential commodities in the current month of Ramazan.

In the petition, Malik Ahmad Javed requested the court to direct federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments as well as deputy commissioners in the province to take immediate action against profiteers and hoarders, who, he insisted, were violating the law by not following the government’s price lists for essential commodities.

The petitioner requested the court to direct the governments and deputy commissioners to ensure that all shopkeepers, retailers, and service providers display the notified price lists for all essential items on their premises and service-providing units to avoid any inconvenience to the people.

He also sought the court’s orders for deputy commissioners to publicise fixed prices for essential goods in print, electronic, and social media, and ensure their display at the required places to avoid ambiguity and inconvenience to customers.

Peshawar resident also wants official prices of essential goods displayed at shops

The petitioner also said that the court should ask the federal and provincial governments to devise “easy complaint and redressal mechanisms” so that the people could approach them for action against profiteers and hoarders.

Respondents in the petition, which was filed through advocate Abbas Khan Sangeen, include the provincial government through its chief secretary, the controller general of prices and supplies of the federal government, deputy commissioners of all districts in the province, the chairman of the KP Halal Food Authority, and the provincial food secretary.

The petitioner argued that it had been a normal practice all over the world that essential food items and basic commodities were made available to the people at concessional and affordable rates during holy festivals like Christmas and Eid, and the month of Ramazan.

He, however, said that regrettably, the people in Pakistan were subjected to exorbitant prices for all essential items on such occasions.

The petitioner argued that currently, Pakistanis didn’t get basic items, including wheat flour, rice, eggs, pulses, edible oil and ghee, vegetables, fruits, milk, beef, mutton, and bakery items, at the prices fixed by the government.

He also said that apart from the price hike, the people also suffered from the issue of quality control, which included adulteration and poor quality of essential food items, as well as their weights being less than specified.

The petitioner claimed that the prices of essential commodities had been going up and up due to the “artificial shortage” and hoarding by traders.

Published in Dawn, March 14th, 2024