A writ petition has been moved in the Lahore High Court against alleged hoarding, black marketing and profiteering by traders for Ramazan and the government’s failure to control prices of essential commodities.
The Judicial Activism Panel has filed the petition in public interest through its chairman Advocate Muhammad Azhar Siddique.
The petitioner said the federal and provincial governments had failed to protect the fundamental rights of people including the control of hoarding and black marketing of essential food products. He said supply of essential food items was a constitutional duty under Article 9.
The petitioner said the prime minister and chief minister were responsible for the crisis and should be prosecuted for the glaring violation of their constitutional obligations.
He said current laws provide meager penalties [imprisonment for up to three years] but no person had been prosecuted so far.
He submitted these laws should be revisited and more severe penalties including rigorous imprisonment not less than 10 years for hoarding, black marketing, profiteering and adulteration.
The magistracy should be restored as an efficient way of implementing laws and controlling price hikes and hoarding.
He prayed the court issue directions for action against respondent governments for their failure and restore the magisterial system.
He further prayed that the prime minister and chief minister be summoned to answer for their inefficiency.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2011.
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