Price magistrates make comeback

Our Correspondent May 31, 2026 Less than a minute read

RAWALPINDI:

The Punjab Home Department has decided to restore the magistracy system after a gap of nearly two decades in an effort to curb inflation, regulate the prices of food and essential commodities, and combat hoarding and black-market practices.

The initiative has formally begun in Lahore, where nine full-time Price Magistrates have been appointed with round-the-clock authority under Section A14 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Similar appointments are expected to be made in Rawalpindi before the presentation of the provincial budget, while the system is planned to be expanded to all 44 districts of Punjab from the 202627 financial year.

The Price Magistrate system was abolished during the second tenure of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto following a judicial ruling by former Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah. As a consequence, the powers and cases previously handled by magistrates were transferred to civil judges.