Traders to face 'blackmailing' after govt's anti-hoarding ordinance, says Ajmal Baloch

Pakistan Markazi Anjuman-i-Tijaran President Ajmal Baloch expressed fear that traders across the country "will be blackmailed" after the government recently approved an ordinance against the hoarding of basic food items and goods.

Baloch said that the government ought to have described the definition of hoarding first before laws to curb it were passed.

“The government should explain how much stock of an item a shopkeeper can have,” he said, adding that the same should be determined for storage houses run by wholesalers.

Baloch said that if the government is serious about the matter of hoarding during the coronavirus crisis, then it should take the traders on board to make a new strategy.

He said that a mechanism should be put in place for determining official prices for products of basic need.

“The administration should not force (shopkeepers) to sell basic need items on three-month-old government rates,” he added,

The president of the association also urged the government to end the lockdown immediately, and added that it should constitute separate committees for determining pricing and control of goods.

CM Sindh directs small-level traders to work as per SOPs

Earlier a trade leader, Sharjeel Goplani, urged Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah to allow the reopening of shops or announce a relief package for small traders.

“The lockdown in Sindh has caused a loss of Rs100 billion,” another leader, Ateeq Mir, claimed, adding that the government should make amends from its own kitty for the losses.

Following the request from traders, the CM Sindh allowed the small-scale traders to work under the Standard Operating Proceedures approved by the government.

The CM Sindh was quoted as saying by his spokesperson that the traders will constitute the SOPs in collaboration with the provincial committee within next 24 hours.

The committee to oversee these matters comprise provincial officials Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Imtiaz Shaikh, said the spokesperson.

The CM Sindh spokesperson said that under the SOPs, the traders can resume delivery and conduct business activites during particular days.

Govt approves ordinance against hoarding

A day earlier, the federal government had approved an ordinance against hoarding basic food items and goods in response to a sugar and wheat crisis that caused prices of basic food items to skyrocket across the country.

Under the ordinance, those found guilty of hoarding will be slapped with a three-year imprisonment sentence and a heavy fine.

The prime minister directed the government to seek help from intelligence agencies in identifying smugglers and hoarders. During the meeting, he said that stern action against smugglers and hoarders was necessary as these crimes ultimately resulted in the poor paying a heavy price.