Laws against hoarding, black marketing yet to be implemented

Petitioner says Quaid-i-Azam had proposed Rs100,000 penalty on hoarders

KARACHI:

Laws against black marketing and hoarding, enacted over the decades since the birth of Pakistan, have yet to be implemented, said a petitioner.

As per the Hoarding and Black Marketing Act 1948 section 14 judges will be appointed to implement this law, but unfortunately it never happened, petitioner Tariq Mansoor Advocate told the Sindh High Court (SHC) bench.

The SHC ordered the government attorney to come prepared in the next hearing regarding the petition about regulating the prices of milk and other essential commodities.

The top court of the province also dismissed the application of the Milk Retailers Association over lack of pursuance.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro heard the petition. Petitioner Tariq Mansoor Advocate stated that Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in his speech to the Constituent Assembly on August 11, 1947, had proposed enactment of laws to thwart black marketing and hoarding.

Subsequently, Hoarding and Black Marketing Act 1948 came into being. In 1948, Jinnah, as the first governor general of Pakistan, had proposed three years in jail and a fine of Rs100,000 for hoarders.

The advocate reminded that in Quaid's time the commissioner Karachi and other individuals were granted the power to monitor and regulate the prices of various essential goods, including milk, however, the section 14 required appointment of judges to give the penalty. This section was never implemented, he added.

The Hoarding and Black Marketing Act prescribed penalties for illegal hoarding. For the Karachi division, the Karachi Essential Articles Processing Profiting and Holding Act were passed in 1953, but this too was never put into practice.

The Sindh Warehouse Registration Act of 1996 was introduced in order to register warehouses, but it remained ineffective, the petitioner said. Commissioner Karachi was granted the power to decide on milk prices and conduct raids 12 years ago, Mansoor said, adding, but this notification deactivated the department of price control which was mandated to regulate the price of milk and other essential items.

Tariq Mansoor Advocate also presented the text of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's speech in court. Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro remarked that it is a very important case and he would make a decision after hearing it. The court directed the public prosecutor to appear in the court with full preparation. The court dismissed the petitions of the Milk Retailers Association over non-pursuance. The court adjourned the hearing till February 20.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 1^st, 2023.