Pind Dadan Khan (Mushtaq Raza) – The Price Control Committee in Tehsil Pind Dadan Khan has failed to provide relief to the public. The concept of check and balance has become nothing more than a dream for the people, as the prices of daily commodities continue to skyrocket.
Recently, the Deputy Commissioner of Jhelum issued an official price list, stating that beef should be sold at Rs. 800 per kg and mutton at Rs. 1600 per kg. However, butchers are charging Rs. 1000 for beef and Rs. 2000 for mutton. Similarly, other essential items are also not being sold according to the official rate list. The prices of vegetables and fruits have soared — tomatoes are being sold for Rs. 400 per kg.
Despite the clear directives from the Deputy Commissioner, the Price Control Committee has failed to monitor markets effectively or ensure compliance with the official rate lists. The official rate for milk is Rs. 180 per kg, but shopkeepers are selling it for Rs. 200. Yogurt is listed at Rs. 195 per kg, but is being sold for Rs. 220.
The Tehsil administration is nowhere to be seen when it comes to controlling this artificially inflated pricing. The Chief Officer of Pind Dadan Khan visits Khewra, sits in the Municipal Committee office for tea, and leaves without taking any practical steps to ensure implementation of the rate list issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Jhelum. These so-called watchdogs are openly defying the orders of the Chief Minister of Punjab and the Deputy Commissioner.
Due to rising inflation, public frustration is increasing, and the cost of living for the poor has become unbearable. Fruits, vegetables, pulses, meat, eggs, oil, sugar, and other basic commodities are being sold without any officially fixed rates. The staff sitting in the local town committee seems only interested in issuing death certificates. One assistant commissioner alone cannot oversee the entire tehsil. What, then, is the role of the Chief Officer and Assistant Officers? Their only apparent job is to collect monthly bribes from those running illegal stalls and encroachments.
The government claims that the inflation is a result of agreements made with the IMF. When Imran Khan came to power, he spent four years teaching the nation that previous leaders were thieves and robbers. He kept saying the treasury was empty because of the previous Nawaz government. However, when Nawaz Sharif was in power, he ended the energy crisis, initiated the CPEC project, and developed a vast network of roads and motorways. He controlled inflation and never blamed Benazir Bhutto or Asif Zardari for an empty treasury — instead, he delivered results.
Today, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter and current Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, is providing tractors and loans to farmers, electric buses, housing loans, laptops to youth, and aid to flood victims. She is running the Punjab government with good governance. Despite regular meetings being held to address inflation, the local administration of Tehsil Pind Dadan Khan is visibly failing to implement these decisions.
Citizens argue that unless the Price Control Committee becomes active and transparent in its operations, inflation will continue to crush low-income families. The people of Pind Dadan Khan have demanded that the Chief Minister of Punjab, the Chief Secretary of Punjab, the Commissioner of Rawalpindi, the Deputy Commissioner of Jhelum, and the Assistant Commissioner of Pind Dadan Khan take immediate and effective action to eliminate this artificial inflation.
