PM Shehbaz orders action against profiteers in Ramadan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered strict monitoring of food prices and market regulations during Ramadan, warning that no profiteer should escape punishment while ensuring that no innocent trader is unfairly targeted.

Chairing a meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday, the prime minister reviewed the performance of the committee overseeing the supply of essential commodities at reduced prices. He commended the committee and the Islamabad administration for their efforts in controlling inflation and ensuring affordable food supplies.

“We are committed to providing maximum relief to the public during Ramadan,” Shehbaz said, directing federal ministers and public representatives to regularly visit Ramadan bazaars, fair-price shops, and other designated markets to oversee the implementation of price control measures. He emphasised the need for continuous monitoring to ensure citizens receive essential commodities at fair rates.

During the briefing, officials informed the prime minister that 16 facilitation stalls, five Ramadan bazaars, 18 fair-price shops, and various other relief measures had been set up across Islamabad. Items such as cooking oil, eggs, pulses, sugar, and poultry were being sold at lower-than-market rates.

To counter hoarding and profiteering, authorities have conducted 4,915 inspections since the start of Ramadan, resulting in 785 arrests and fines amounting to Rs728,000. Officials said an online application was being used to monitor the performance of price magistrates, while Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal had set up eight locations in the capital to provide free iftar meals to underprivileged citizens.

Federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Attaullah Tarar, Talal Chaudhry, and other senior officials attended the meeting.