ISLAMABAD: A petition filed in the Supreme Court has sought to enforce an immediate ban on the export of fruits and vegetables as prices climb up during the Ramzan season.
The Supreme court has been requested to order the secretaries of the cabinet division, trade and commerce in addition to the Competition Commission of Pakistan chairman to ensure affordable prices for citizens by imposing an export ban. The petition was filed by Advocate Zulfikar Ahmed Bhutta.
Instead of relying on third parties, farmers should be able to directly sell their products to members of the public in the open market, the petition requests. The petition adds that a combination of poor policy making, export of agricultural items and hoarding by certain groups has led to the price hike.
Article 3, 35 and 38 of the Constitution were being violated with a policy of favouring exports at the expense of citzens’ needs, said the petitioner. The government had previously been advised by the Competition Commission of Pakistan to create a monitoring commision which would have authority to decide import/export issues, maintain security buffer stocks to prevent supply shortages and maintain price levels.
Meetings are currently being held by the National Price Monitoring Committee to finalise price control systems for essential food items in Pakistan, the petitioner claimed.
However, under the present high prices of agricultural food items it appeared as if the mechanism or arrangements made were either not working properly or had become part of corrupt mafia who were involved in the exploitation of resources by creating shortage of food items from the local market.
Given the current market prices of agricultural items, the petitioner said that the price control system has either failed to work or important officials had become embedded with the mafia to exploit resources in Ramzan.
