The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Law Ministry on Monday prepared a draft for an ordinance proposed to tackle hoarding amid the coronavirus crisis, recommending that those found involved in stockpiling be jailed for three years.
According to the KP law ministry’s draft, those involved in hoarding would also be liable to pay as fine 50% of the value of items recovered.
The informant would be rewarded 10 per cent of the funds in the treasury, the document added, noting that a special magistrate would hear cases of hoarding. The special magistrate will be bound to rule on the cases under 30 days.
The proposed ordinance would be applicable on protective gear which includes medicines, surgical gloves, masks, and sanitisers, as well as on flour, vegetables, sugar, tea, rice, pulses, and various other items.
Speaking to a local news channel, KP Law Minister Sultan Mohammad Khan said the ordinance was aimed at bringing illegal profiteers into the ambit of the law. It would be sent to the governor should it be passed in the cabinet, he added.
The minister added that the ordinance would be applicable on 32 items in total.
Earlier on Sunday, Federal Minister for Law and Justice Dr Farogh Naseem had also warned hoarders of strict action as the federal government finalised the draft of a new ordinance and announced strict punishments for hoarders and profiteers.
The law minister also revealed that an anti-smuggling ordinance will also be introduced in parliament soon. “As per this (anti-smuggling) ordinance, we will primarily target undeclared routes for smuggling of foreign currencies and essential commodities such as sugar, wheat and medicines,” Naseem explained.
He also said that the eventual parliamentary act will contain checks and balances to assist the government in the implementation of the law.
“Our district administrations have information about these things. The bill will let us coordinate with district administrations and customs staff around the country to identify these individuals. At the same time, if this work isn’t done by relevant authorities, the law secretary will summon them by issuing a dereliction report — which will then be forwarded to their departments for further disciplinary action,” Naseem said, adding that this system of checks and balances will compel authorities to take their responsibilities seriously.
Similarly, the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Sunday also promulgated an ordinance to punish hoarders.
AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan had said that he had also ordered the concerned authorities to remain vigilant and to take strict action against the profiteers and hoarders to ensure the provision of all edible items to the general public.
He had also directed the concerned officials to provide required resources for the provision of safety kits to the doctors, paramedical staff, police and officials of the administration.
Prime Minister (PM) Imran had recently revealed that ordinances to criminalise hoarding and smuggling would soon be released. He had also directed law enforcement agencies (LEAs) to seek the assistance of the country’s spy agencies in curbing the menace of hoarding and smuggling.
“Strict action should be taken against those involved in smuggling and hoarding of essential items,” PM Imran had said while presiding over a high-level meeting. He had said that hoarding and price-hike would intensify the miseries of the poor people who had been badly affected by the current situation.
It is worth mentioning here that PM Imran Khan had issued stern warning to profiteers, saying the state would “make an example out of you”. He fulfilled his promise by making public the probe report into the wheat and sugar crises which named some of his aides, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Tareen, as beneficiaries of the crises.
