Islamabad: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has ordered authorities concerned to strictly curb the smuggling of sugar, petroleum products, urea, agricultural products, and other items of daily use, reported Dawn.
Chairing the meeting, the Prime Minister was briefed on the widespread smuggling of various essential goods across the country, particularly in border regions, and the measures being implemented to combat this issue. It was disclosed that an additional ten law enforcement checkpoints would be established in Balochistan to combat the smuggling of essential commodities effectively.
The prime minister’s directive comes amid growing concerns over the rising prices of food items and other essential consumer goods, especially sugar. The government has been struggling to control the prices, which have been driven up by several factors, including smuggling.
Also to meet the domestic demands, the Pakistan government has chosen to import 1 million metric tonnes of sugar to replenish the country’s reduced supply after being deceived by sugar mill owners about a “sufficient” domestic stock.
The federal government will import sugar at an inflated price of PKR 220 per kilogram, and the burden will be passed on to the population, which is already suffering from inflation and will be forced to pay exorbitant price.
According to data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), food inflation stands at 38.5% year-on-year, with sugar prices surging by 70.64% in the past year. Reports indicate that sugar prices are escalating, with expectations of further increases shortly.
