The Lahore High Court on Monday disposed of a petition against hoarding and profiteering by traders, and the government’s alleged failure in controlling prices.
The court sent a copy of the petition to the chief secretary and directed him to decide the matter in two months.
The petitioner had objected to unrestrained hoarding of edible items and high prices ahead of Ramazan. He accused the prime minister and the chief minister of making flimsy excuses to cover up their failure in controlling the price hike. Justice Khalid Mehmood said the court wanted to know why steps had not been taken to control the price hike. The petitioner said the laws provide for up to three years of imprisonment. He said the laws needed to be amended and harsh punishment introduced, this could include rigorous imprisonment of not less than 10 years. He requested the court to summon the PM and the CM to court to explain why they had failed to control the price hike.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th, 2014.