The Punjab government has restored 133 market committees across the province, all of which had been dissolved on orders of Prime Minister Imran Khan on February 4 this year.
To put that into effect, the Punjab Agricultural Marketing Regulatory Authority (PAMRA) has issued a notification with regards to reconstitution of the market committees; along with reinstating over 1,270 political leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and its allies, who were elected to posts of Market Committee Chairman, Vice Chairman and members.
However, owing to the loopholes in the notification, the chairmen had obtained a restraining order from the Lahore High Court and the government was stuck at a crossroads.
Administrative powers have now been restored and PAMRA will be able to take legal action against any market committee chairman or vice chairman, should it find incriminating evidence against them.
On February 3, 2021, Prime Minister Imran Khan while addressing a high-level meeting in Islamabad on inflation expressed frustration with the market committees over the failure to curb artificial inflation in prices of agricultural commodities. Consequently, market committees were ordered to be dissolved and on February 4, and PAMRA had issued a notification in compliance of the directions.
The notification read that PAMRA was convinced that market committees had have failed to perform their duties and needed to be dissolved immediately for situations to improve.
Read Taxing the agricultural income
Under the current notification issued by PAMRA however, the notifications issued on 4th February 2021 and 25th January 2021 with regards to dissolution of market committees have been withdrawn, allowing the committees to be effectively reinstated.
The notification further maintained that Clause (b) of the PAMRA Act was suspended on the ground that the committees were unable to function in accordance with the law and the agricultural and grain markets within the limits of these committees had exhibited worst performances.
It said that the under the committees, the agricultural market could not make proper arrangements while the market committees also failed to enable proper auction of commodities in the markets and ensure transparent monitoring, assistance and regulation.
It was further noted that the committees were handed under the control and administration of officers with no agricultural background. Immediately after the market committees were dissolved, more than 50 chairmen grouped and obtained restraining orders from the court after which the rest of the chairmen also knocked the doors of justice.
According to sources, the Advocate General of Punjab informed the government that there was a legal loophole in the notification and procedure for dissolving the market committees, and had suggested that it would be better to withdraw the notification.
“After the notification of revival of market committees by PAMRA, the chairmen have started sitting in the committee offices and carrying out government affairs,” the source informed The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 12th, 2021.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ