Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to revive magistracy system for check on prices

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information, Mian Iftikhar Hussein has said that the provincial government is keeping strict check on the prices of the essential household items and have directed the display of the price lists by the shopkeepers.
Speaking in response to the criticism of the opposition members on the government on failure in the arrest of the problem of price hike in the province, however, he said that check was become weak due to the abolition of the magistracy system. He said that the provincial government is making efforts for the revival of the magistracy system as soon as possible to keep check on the prices of the essential items.
The information minister was responding to the critical speeches of the opposition legislators on the adjournment motion moved by Malik Mohammad Qasim Khattak of the JUI-F. Moving his adjournment motion, he said that the prevailing flood of the price hike and growing prices of the essentials everyday had made the lives of the common men miserable. The people, he said are very disturbed and concerned over the issue.
The minister urged the legislators including women members of the house to join hands with the government in the arrest of the problem through visiting bazaars to check the prices of the items on their own. He said that presently there were three systems of government in the world, which are capitalism, socialism and Islamic system. But, in our country, he said the system was run on adhocism basis. He said that they are making efforts for finding permanent solution. He said that under the devolution plan magistracy system was abolished and in the prevailing situation, the districts have no mechanism for keeping check on the prices of the essentials.
He said that the opposition should have given their proposals and suggestions for the arresting of the price hike. He said that the legislators, who had raised the matter in the provincial assembly, should have taken it up in the proper forum of the National Assembly through their leadership.
Mian Iftikhar said that they are fully aware of the problem of the price hike as they themselves are from middle class and use to go markets for the purchase of vegetables and other essential food items. He said that the problem is faced by the country since the very inception and with the passage of the time it was further deteriorated. "We are speaking with honesty that they would have taken effective measures for its arrest, if they would not have faced the grave issue of terrorism," added the minister.
He said that the successful running of businesses requires peaceful environment and the government he said is battling the menace of the terrorism for the achievement of that objective.
Dispelling the impression of the extravagant expenses, he said that they are living their routine life and no increase has been made in the expenditure of the provincial government. He said that the size of the provincial cabinet would be cut down shortly to 13 or 15 ministers to lessen burden on the national exchequer. Such kind of step, he said was not taken by anyone in the past.
Referring to the levy of the Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST), he said that they have expressed reservations on it. He said that in the present the province is not in position to afford the levy and therefore, we have demanded a two-year exemption of it. The Prime Minister, he said had already agreed to the proposal.
He said that they are not against the collection of tax, but its ratio should not be increased and measures should be taken for bringing more people into the tax net. However, he said that price hike could not be controlled through mere speeches. He said that the government is keeping strict check on the prices of the essentials.
Senior Minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour also agreed with contentions of the Mian Iftikhar Hussein and attributed it to the lack of the magistracy system in the province. He said that the provincial government had directed District Co-ordination Officers (DCOs) and Tehsil Municipal officers (TMOs) for revival of the price review committees for not only fixing prices, but also keeping check on the prices of the essentials items in bazaars. The district administrations, he said had arrested dozens of profiteers under the MPOs.
Earlier, Malik Mohammad Qasim, Mufti Kifayatullah JUI-F, Qalandar Khan Lodhi (PML-Q), Sikandar Hayat Sherpao (PPP-Sherpao), Javed Abbasi (PML-N) and Israrullah Khan Gandapur criticised government for lacking check on the prices of the essentials. They said that the sky rocketing prices of the essentials have made the lives of the people miserable and expressed the fear the levy of the RGST would flood price hike and multiply the problems of the common man.